


Lion Soul

by Braincoins



Series: Lion Soul [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Blood, Collaboration, F/M, Medieval Fantasy, Werelions, background Alforan - Freeform, background klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2018-10-12 04:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 64,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10481829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Braincoins/pseuds/Braincoins
Summary: Allura is one of the leaders of a nomadic pride of werelions. Shiro is the lone human in the pride, always out of place, unable to be a part of the culture he was raised in. Whatever he feels for Allura is irrelevant. He's no match for her, no matter how much he wishes he were.The pride is considering going on the offensive against the Hunters - humans who stalk and kill weres - rather than continuing to flee and hide. And Shiro has to decide if the only home he's ever known is reallyhome, and, if it's not, what should he do about that? Whatcanhe do?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 of my collaboration with the amazingly talented [@yliseryn](http://yliseryn.tumblr.com/) who helped me build and expand upon this world and then went on to provide all the pretty pictures! Give her some love! <3
> 
> As usual, many thanks to [Echo Menhir](http://explodingcrenelation.tumblr.com/) for her editing expertise!
> 
> All blessings to that unimpeachable fount of knowledge & wisdom, [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion), for teaching me important stuff about lions. Of course, these are _were_ lions, so they function a little bit differently, but I used lion pride behavior as a sort of jumping off point.

            Allura had been a great many things to Shiro throughout his life: playmate, friend, co-conspirator, idol. For as long as he could remember, she’d been there. Watching her become acknowledged as one of the leaders of the pride made him so happy for her, for all of them, because he knew that she would take excellent care of them all.

            This was what she’d always wanted, since she was only a cub. She’d grown into a fierce huntress, proud and ambitious. When she’d succeeded at her passage ritual – as they’d all known she would – she chose red as the color for her hunt-marks, the proof of her successful transition into adulthood. No one who knew Allura was really shocked by her choosing a dominance color for herself, and no one stood up to object to her taking it. Her mother had been a dominant before sickness had taken her; her father was the lone male dominant in the pride. And Allura had never made a secret of her desire to walk her parents’ path.

            She had been formally accepted and named one of the pride’s dominants now. She could now properly wear dominant red, and she was, short hair pulled back with combs of carved bone and decorated with flowers, unashamedly baring her scars, wearing one of her mother’s fangs ‘round her neck. She looked like she’d claimed the entire pride – maybe even the world – as hers, and had that claim accepted. This was, unquestionably, her destiny; none would gainsay her in her pursuit of it.

            But seeing her so radiant and comfortable in her power also solidified for Shiro the facts of his own destiny, and how – whatever it might be – it would not include her. Honestly, he wasn’t sure there was a male walking the land who was worthy of her, but he knew he didn’t even come close. She was lion-souled, like everyone else here except him. He was nothing but a human.

            He hadn’t the speed, strength, or healing abilities of a lion-soul. He couldn’t shift forms. He would never be able to run through the forest on four legs, to scent and stalk prey, or shrug off a broken arm with a day of bedrest. He was, compared to them, half-blind, weak, slow, and fragile. He could feel the pride’s pity focused upon him whenever he interacted with anyone other than Allura. She was the only one who accepted him as he was, without pity or condescension.

            But he could never be with her. Not the way he wanted, the way he dreamed about sometimes when he was alone. He was not an acceptable mate for any lion-soul, let alone her. He’d known his whole life that this was the case, but he’d let himself push the truth aside. Watching her proclaimed a pride leader killed the last of his hope.

            For everyone around him, this was a happy day. There was lively music, abundant feasting (the bulk of the meat provided by Allura herself) and free-flowing wine. People danced, children laughed, and the whole camp seemed to be lit by joy as much as by the campfire and myriad candles. Banners of red and indigo had been draped over everything that stood still, it seemed. It was late summer, and the nights were just beginning to cool off some. The trees surrounding their camp still had plenty of full, green leaves for the wind to rustle. It was a fine night for a party.

            Regardless, Shiro left the celebration early, tired of being pitied and of watching the males jostling for her attention. They always did, but they were ingratiating themselves even more tonight. She was a prize to be won to them; to Shiro, she was just ‘Lura: his friend, fellow troublemaker, and the forever-unrequited love of his life.

 

 

            Out of the corner of her eye, Allura saw Shiro leaving the celebration. She cast a quick glance around, but no one in particular seemed to have set him off, so she assumed it was his usual feelings of inferiority surging up again.

            She wanted to go to him and cheer him up; he’d been by her side for so long she couldn’t remember a time without Shiro in her life. But she knew what that would look like. She was a leader of the pride now, one of the dominant females, just like her mother before her.

            Life had been so much easier when she was a cub. Back then, she could’ve chased Shiro down, tackled him, and made him tell her what was wrong. Now that she was grown, she had to consider the ramifications. She was of mating age, and the question of who her mate would be was important. If she went after Shiro right now, even as a matter of friendship, even if she claimed it was her job as leader to see to the welfare of the entire pride, it would still be interpreted badly. It would look like she was choosing Shiro over the others. She had no reason to choose Shiro, and to do so would be an insult to the lion-souled males who even now were thronging her.

            So she stayed and resumed cautiously fending off the various males’ offers of another drink or a bite to eat or an invitation for an evening stroll (that particular would-be suitor earned a glare for his brazen suggestion). She tried not to think of her oldest and dearest friend, fleeing the weight of the pride’s pity. She shoved aside the fact she was expected to choose a strong, swift, and virile mate while Shiro was expected never to have a mate at all.

            Most of all, she tried not to remind herself yet again of the ease she felt around Shiro when they were alone, where she could be out from under the burden of leadership and power and expectation. She was just herself with Shiro, who was just as likely to tickle her as bow to her (more likely, in fact). No eyes watching her every movement, no analyzing what every word “meant,” just friendship and acceptance and warm smiles.

            She thought, not for the first time, about turning him. She could share part of her own lion soul with him, if she bit him while in her warrior form. She knew that. He knew that. The entire pride knew it was possible. But no one had, and no one would.

            When the pride originally took him in, he was too young to survive either the bite or the transformation. She had pestered her parents repeatedly in private as to when he could be made like them. She wanted him to have this gift, to fit in at long last. Finally, they had explained to her their reasons. Once she knew, she agreed with them. He would have to stay human; it was for the best for him.

            But it hurt her to see him alienated, especially when she could solve the problem. Right now, her position – which she was both proud and humbled to have been given – kept her from him.

 

 

            “Not in a celebrating mood, m’boy?”

            Shiro looked up as Coran came into his tent and stopped rubbing the markings on his arm quickly. Most of the pride’s younger males slept in the same tent, curled up together as lions. It bothered him to be the only one stuck as a human, and it reminded him too much of afternoon naps with Allura when they were younger, when he would lay against her as if she were a warm, fluffy, purring pillow and drift off listening to her breathing and heartbeat. So he’d made his own tent, removed from the rest. Everyone else seemed happier this way, and even if he wasn’t, at least he didn’t have the reminder of better times he could never get back.

            Coran had brought a plate of food with him and he set it down in offering as he sat opposite Shiro. “You’re sulking again. In the dark, no less. Couldn’t you at least have lit a candle?”

            “Thanks for the food,” he said instead of answering, picking up the plate to eat. He didn’t honestly feel much like eating, but years of dealing with Coran had taught him that he’d just get lectured until he gave in. Better to accept fate.

            Coran huffed. “You’re as good as my own cub, and I hate to see you like this.”

            “But I’m not your cub. I’m not anyone’s cub. _That_ ’s the problem.”

            “You’re a big help to the pride.”

            “How?” he challenged. “What can I do that no one else here can?”

            “Well, you’re an extra pair of hands,” Coran pointed out.

            “And an extra mouth to feed.”

            Coran frowned at him. “If you’re just going to shoot down everything I say, then why should I say anything?”

            “I just want to be alone, Coran.”

            “No, you don’t. _THAT_ is the problem.”

            “Well, what I want doesn’t really matter.”

            Coran groaned. “If you’re determined to be miserable, I’ll just leave you to it. But I thought you’d be happy for Allura.”

            “I am happy for her. This is what she’s always wanted. It’s her destiny. She’ll be great for the pride.”

            “Okay, now, could you say it again so that I believe it this time?”

            “No.”

            “Shiro!” Coran growled at him. Shiro hunched his shoulders reflexively, looking away. Coran eased down. “Let me ask you something: is your sulking in here going to change anything?”

            “No,” he admitted.

            “Is it going to make you feel better to wallow like this?”

            “No.”

            “Well then!” He smiled. “You should come back to the party!”

            “No.”

            Coran sighed. “Fine, fine, I give up. Did you at least congratulate Allura before you left?”

            “I know I should have, but she was… busy.” He looked down at his half-empty plate.

            He felt Coran’s hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know you two have been close. It can’t be easy. If I could make it better, I would.”

            “You know how to make it better,” he said without lifting his head. He knew what the response to that would be.

            “You know I can’t do that. It’s not allowed.”

            He nodded. _Just like always_.

            “And it’s no guarantee that it would change things the way you want.”

            “I know, but at least I’d have the same chance as everyone else.”

            Coran chuckled. “I have a hard time imagining you out there, prancing about like those ninnies. ‘Oh, Allura,’” he mocked in an affected purr, “‘let me get that for you. You shouldn’t lower yourself to such things as bending over to pick up something you dropped.’”

            Shiro snorted and cracked a half-smile he hoped Coran couldn’t see. “No, I’d be more like, ‘Allura, clean up after yourself. Leaders of the pride shouldn’t be such slobs!’”

            “Yes, and then you two would get in another fight that _I_ would have to break up because you’re both just overgrown cubs still.” Shiro looked up, intending to defend himself, but Coran wasn’t done yet. The older male folded his arms huffily. “And you’d probably still try to keep fighting, driving me crazy with your immature antics. I look forward to the day you both finally grow up!”

            “Oh, that’d be ‘oh, my aching back!’” he whined, mimicking Coran now. “‘How am I supposed to keep up with all these young whippersnappers?!’”

            “Laugh now!” Coran declared. “It’ll happen to you sooner than you think. And I’m not _that_ old.”

            “No, no, of course not. Just wise beyond your years.”

            “That’s RIGHT. I’m glad to see you’ve gained some sense, at long last.” But he smiled at Shiro and Shiro finally had no qualms about returning it. Coran patted his shoulder again. “Get some rest. I’m sure the sudden onset of maturity is tiring.”

            “You’d know.”

            “You’re not so old I can’t whup you if you need it!” Coran play-threatened.

            “Bring it, old man.”

            “Tomorrow,” he promised, as always. That ‘tomorrow’ never had come and likely never would.

            “Good night, Coran. Thank you.”

            And Coran smiled wider at him. “You’re welcome, m’boy. Good night.”

 

 

            Allura ducked easily and brought up her hand, flat as a shield, to push him back. Shiro barely dodged it, dropping to try to sweep her legs out from under her. She jumped.

            Honestly, she was a little surprised he’d asked to spar with her. Not because it was unusual; far from it. In fact, she and Shiro had sparred so much through the years that he had come close to beating her on a couple of occasions, simply through his knowledge of the moves she favored.

            But ever since she’d been made a pride leader, he’d made himself scarce. To have their first interaction in days be a fight, even a practice one, worried her. She wanted to chat, to reassure him that things would be the same between them.

            But then, she supposed, nothing proved how little things had changed like a good spar. They were each other’s favorite opponents. No one understood why she was so pleased to fight with someone as slow and weak as Shiro. She couldn’t explain it: it was less like fighting and more like dancing.

            It might not be the best learning experience anymore, but it was _fun_. They practically flowed around each other, weaving in and out. She knew, when he aimed for her nose, he was going to pull it at the last second while his other fist came for her gut. He knew she would try to force a block up near his throat so she could extend her fingers into his windpipe.

            The only thing in question was how, exactly, it would end. The destination was certain, but it was the journey she enjoyed. This time, he didn’t dodge in time, and she took him to the ground for an easy pin.

            She grinned down at him beneath her. “I win. As usual.”

            “As usual,” he admitted breathlessly.

            “You did well,” she informed the vanquished. “But you must know you have no chance of ever beating me.”

            “I know.”

            She cocked her head. “Then why do you keep sparring with me?”

            “Glutton for punishment, I guess,” he said, and she straightened up with a frown. He propped himself up on his elbows and cricked his neck. “Besides, it’s good practice for me. I know it isn’t much of a challenge for you, though. Thank you for taking the time.”

            She stood and offered him her hand; he accepted and she pulled him up easily. “You’re more of a challenge than you give yourself credit for.”

            “Now you’re just being nice.”

            “Only a little.” Her grin returned.

            He snorted. “Careful, Princess. Your father would tell you that a leader must be humble.”

            Her grin fell and she growled at him. “What have I told you about calling me that?”

            “What, ‘Princess’?” His grin widened. “Seems more fitting than ever, honestly.”

            “Be careful,” she warned him, “or you’ll end up in a _real_ fight you can’t win.”

            “With you? I’ll take my chances.”

            “We both know I could destroy you.”

            “We both know you wouldn’t.”

            She gave up on banter and play-threats. “Why did you leave the celebration so early? Why have you been avoiding me until now?”

            He exhaled. “I just needed some time alone.”

            “You’re not sick?”

            “No, I’m as healthy as ever.”

            She cocked her head at him again. “It hurts me when you won’t talk to me. You know you can always confide in me, Shiro.”

            His eyes darted away from hers, his shoulders hunched a little. “Of course.”

            She growled again, this time with real menace. “Don’t defer like that.”

            His gaze snapped back to hers. “Well, how do you want me to defer then?”

            “I DON’T. You’re my best friend!” She took a step towards him and he stepped away. She sighed harshly. “When we’re alone, I don’t have to be your superior.” _And I don’t want to be. Please don’t take this away from me._

            “You’re always my superior,” he told her, eyes like stone. He turned to leave.

            She reached out and grabbed his arm. He couldn’t prevent her from dragging him to a stop, but he refused to look at her, and she bristled. “You made a promise.”

            “So did you,” he commented hollowly. She was so surprised that her grip loosened, and he slipped away from her.

 

 

            “What’s wrong, Allura?”

            “EVERYTHING.” She threw herself onto the largest and fluffiest cushion in her father’s tent. “Nothing. I don’t know.”

            He came over to crouch down next to her, rubbing her shoulder. “You’ve been a leader for barely over a week, and already the burdens of power are weighing on you? I think that’s a new record. It took a month for your mother to want to tear someone’s head off.”

            “I don’t really want to do _that_. I’m just frustrated. Shiro’s being annoying again.”

            He sighed and sat down properly. “Things are not easy for him with us. If I thought another pride would be better for him, I would urge him to leave at the next Assembly, but…”

            “Any other pride would, at best, be the same for him, and is actually more likely to be worse.” She sighed. “I know.” She looked over at her father, eyes pleading. “Are you sure we can’t…?”

            “We’ve been through this, Allura,” he reminded her. “To do what you want would be to condemn him to our fate.”

            “We’re already condemning him to our fate!” she protested. “Do you think a Hunter can actually tell if he’s human or not? He lives with us, as one of us; why shouldn’t he actually _be_ one of us?”

            “The Hunters are clever; they have their ways. And we know his parents would not have wanted that for him. It’s one of the few things we _do_ know about their wishes. To that extent, we should honor them. We took him in; we raised him. But he is not one of us. Soul-sharing is a rare event in the prides, and it must remain so.”

            “If anyone’s earned it, he has,” she muttered.

            “He’s a good person,” her father allowed. “I’m glad your mother made the choice she did. But he has options open to him now that he won’t have if we take that step. And not everyone survives the sharing. It’s painful and dangerous. He’s better off as he is.

            “Remember also that soul-sharing is rare not only because it is a gift that must be bestowed carefully, but also because it disrupts the natural order. We are all born as we are for a reason. We cannot alter nature’s course capriciously.”

            “I know, Father. I just want him to be happy. I hate feeling so helpless.” Allura sighed.

            Her father smiled at her. “I know you care for him. You two have always been together. But he must make his own happiness. He has to walk his own path, just as you must walk your own. Sometimes, paths diverge. It isn’t easy, and it speaks well of you that this concerns you so much. But you have other things to think about now.”

            She groaned and rolled over onto her back, frowning. “Not again, Father! Not _now_.”

            “It’s a good match, and I know how much you hate the males trying to curry favor with you constantly. It would get them to leave you alone.”

            “Not exactly the way I wanted to go about it.”

            “New blood in the pride would be good, and this pride is eager to join forces against the Hunters. We would be larger and better able to protect ourselves.”

            “Being larger means being more obvious, and thus more of a target,” she mused aloud. “We haven’t dealt with Hunters in nearly two decades. Why invite trouble?”

            “You make good points. Perhaps you can debate them with Lotor at the Assembly. He should be eager to hear them.”

            She lolled her head towards her father. “Schemer,” she accused. “Matchmaker.”

            “Guilty. A father worries about his cubs’ happiness.”

            “I’m not a cub anymore!”

            “No, you’re not,” he agreed, and stood once more to look down at her. “And I cannot tell you what to do any longer. But it would be wise to find a mate soon, and this match has a lot to recommend it. That’s all.”

            “SCHEMER,” she repeated.

            “Just talk to him at the Assembly,” he insisted. “All the local prides are on their way to celebrate your victory and ascension to leadership. He’ll doubtless seek you out; word from his pride’s dominant females is that he’s quite eager to meet you.”

            “Maybe I’ll just run off and hide.”

            He arched an eyebrow. “You would never do such a thing, my fierce little huntress.”

            She smiled at the old nickname. “You’re right.” She pulled herself up so she was sitting upright. “Fine, I will _talk_ with this Lotor at the Assembly, but my choice of mates is _my choice_ , and I do not want you or Coran scheming up ways to get me alone with him or any of that nonsense.”

            It didn’t escape her notice that her father looked relieved. “I promise. Just knowing that you will talk with him is all I could hope for.”

            Their heads both turned towards the tent flap and the camp beyond it: Allura could hear the pride hunters returning with dinner.

            He turned back to her. “Shall we go help?”

            “I suppose.” She stood and stretched. “I would rather have been out hunting.”

            “You turned down the offer to go, from what I hear. You chose sparring with Shiro instead.”

            She felt her cheeks warm. “I didn’t choose sparring with Shiro over going hunting. I chose trying to find him and talk to him over hunting. It just so happened that he wanted to spar. But then that turned sour at the end.” Her mouth skewed to one side in annoyance. “So _now_ I wish I’d gone hunting.”

            “Well, don’t spend too much time on your regrets. Especially not when there’s kill to be skinned and prepared.” He moved to the entrance and held the tent flap for her. “Your people need you, my dear.”

            She smoothed out her lips into a civil smile. “Yes, Father. You’re right, of course.” She squared her shoulders and strode out into the camp again.

 

 

            It was a pity job, and Shiro knew that, but he loved teaching the cubs all the same. Anyone could have done it, of course, and could probably have done it better. He couldn’t shift, couldn’t teach them to hunt as a lion or fight as a warrior. But the limits and capabilities of the human form he excelled at. And they were the only members of the pride he was anything close to a match for in ability.

            “Slaen, stand like this,” he said, kneeling down to re-orient the boy. “You’ll present a smaller target.” He looked over to Slaen’s opponent. “Leine, you’re doing well, but remember: speed over strength. You don’t have to knock him back into the trees with a single punch.”

            She frowned. “But I have to be strong!”

            “You _are_ strong.” He stood. “If you were facing a human opponent of the same height and weight, you could do more damage than you intend.”

            “Aren’t we _supposed_ to kill the humans?” one of the other cubs – Essell – asked earnestly.

            “Except for you, Shiro,” Slaen put in.

            “Except for you,” Essell added.

            _Great, even the cubs think of me as separate._ He shoved that aside and smiled faintly. “Only if you have no choice. Here, gather around.” He sat on the ground as the small pack of cubs dutifully came in to take seats and listen.

            “Now, let’s pretend a human hurt Slaen here.” The cubs laughed. “No, no, be serious. It can happen.” They frowned. “Some humans are Hunters, and they are specially trained to kill any animal-souled people they find. Even lion-souled.”

            “But if we’re stronger and faster, how can they kill us?” Leine asked.

            “They’re very clever, and they know that lion-souled people are weak against silver.” Everyone sucked in a breath. “So, let’s pretend that a Hunter somehow managed to kill Slaen.”

            At the phrase, Slaen grabbed his chest and collapsed to the ground in exaggerated death throes. A chorus of giggles spawned, but Shiro didn’t hush them this time. “Very dramatic, thank you.” He looked back to the group. “How would you feel?”

            There was a chorus of “Angry!” and “Sad!” and the like from the cubs. “Dead!” Slaen piped up from his spot on the ground.

            “Hey, the dead can’t talk!” Issere protested, folding her arms indignantly.

            “Okay, settle down. What would you want to do to the Hunter who killed Slaen?”

            “Kill ‘em!” the cubs all roared immediately.

            “Right. You’d be vengeful, yeah?” The cubs roared their affirmation. “You’d stop at nothing to find the one responsible. Well, imagine if you killed a Hunter you didn’t have to. How do you think _they’d_ feel?” The cubs fidgeted as the realization hit them.

            He continued, “Lion-souls kill only when they have to. That’s how the hunt goes, and that’s how it is with humans, too. You shouldn’t kill if you don’t need to. If you cause a human enough pain, they’ll stop coming after you. It will let you escape so you can come back to the pride and not bring trouble with you. It will also buy the pride time to regroup and perhaps move on while that Hunter recovers. Remember: a wounded enemy has to be looked after; a slain enemy has to be avenged. Got it?” There were solemn nods all around. “Good. Slaen, you can stop being dead now.”

            He jumped back to his feet. “I LIVE!”

            The cubs welcomed his resurrection with tackle-hugs and Shiro had to pull them apart before it devolved into a free-for-all. “Knock it off,” he laughed, “and get back in formation.”

            They scrambled to obey.

            “And remember, the gifts of a lion-soul are a big responsibility. It’s important to know how to control your strength.” He went over to Leine and crouched down to be face-to-face with her. “If you keep punching with all your might every time, you’ll wear out sooner. Better to preserve your energy.” She nodded in understanding and he stood up again. “Patience yields focus, everyone. Got it? Okay, let’s try this again.”

 

            “He’s good with them,” Romelle said behind her.

            Allura didn’t turn around. She’d been caught; no point in denying it. “He is,” she agreed, watching Shiro teach the cubs how to fight.

            “Such a shame, isn’t it?”

            Allura side-eyed her cousin as she stepped up beside her. “Don’t start.”

            “You were thinking it.”

            “I was supervising his teaching methods.”

            “Oh, really?” Romelle purred with a grin visible even to Allura’s peripheral vision. “Is that why you’re blushing?”

            “I am not!”

            “You are,” she insisted, poking Allura’s cheek.

            Allura batted her hand away. “Stop it.”

            “I won’t. You should turn him. And don’t give me that ‘it’s forbidden’ nonsense. You’ve lived your whole life by the motto ‘better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.’”

            “Oh, honestly, Romelle. I’m a pride leader now!”

            “So you can set the rules!”

            “Not alone. There are two other dominant females and my father’s opinion to consider.”

            Romelle scoffed. “He’s a male; get the females on your side and you’ll be fine. And why wouldn’t they agree?” She gestured to Shiro. “He’s a fine male, for a human. Good with cubs, considerate, smart, handsome.” It was that last adjective that had Allura looking over at her, and, of course, Romelle’s grin was back full-force. “If he were lion-souled, he’d be yours by now.”

            Allura rolled her eyes, ignoring the heat swimming back into her face as she looked away again. “Honestly. Is mating all you ever think about?”

            “No. Sometimes I think about my cousin’s happiness.” She nudged Allura with her shoulder.

            “The matter is not up for discussion.” She turned and started back towards her tent. “And I have important matters to tend to.”

            “Oh, all of a sudden?” Romelle wasn’t letting her go that easily, it seemed. She caught up with Allura. “Where were these ‘important matters’ when you were daydreaming about Shiro and cubs of your own?”

            “I was doing no such thing. He’s my _friend_ , Romelle. Do you understand the word?”

            “You don’t have to choose him as a mate. Nothing saying you can’t just have fun with him. That’s what sylphroot is for.”

            “You don’t understand,” Allura told her despite her increased blush. “Though that’s hardly surprising. Two things never interested you: politics and propriety.”

            “Hey! I can be proper when I choose to.”

            Allura stopped walking to fix her with a withering look.

            Romelle, of course, shrugged it off. “Fine, I will stop bothering you about Shiro. I will just assume that there is information that I, as a mere huntress, am not privy to.”

            Allura jumped on the change of subject. “That was a fine buck you brought down last night,” she complimented as she resumed walking.

            Her cousin puffed out her chest, keeping pace with her. “Thank you. I thought so as well. I’m having the antlers carved into a hair comb, a dagger hilt, and a pair of candlesticks.”

            “You and your tent will be the envy of the pride.”

            “That’s the idea!” She giggled. “You’re coming with us on the next hunt, yes?”

            “I promise. I’m practically itching to get out.”

            “Leadership already bothersome?”

            “You have no idea,” Allura groaned.

            “And I never will! Which is perfectly fine by me. Let you have all the responsibility; I’ll have all the fun, it seems.”

            “We’ll see who’s having fun next hunt,” Allura grinned. “And who has the biggest kill.”

            “That sounds like a challenge, cousin!”

            “That’s because it is one.”

            “Winner gets first choice on meat?”

            “Naturally.”

            “Challenge accepted then.”

 

 

            It was hard to keep secrets in the pride. Rumors ran rampant while the truth often crawled at a snail’s pace. So Shiro had ignored the gossip at first. But then the truth caught up to the whispers and giggles.

            It was a second punch to the gut, and he’d only barely recovered from the first. _What did I expect, really?_ But it was deeper this time, stabbing into him. It not only knocked the wind from him, it left him bleeding.

            He had accepted he and Allura would never be more than friends. He had accepted she would choose someone else as her mate, and it honestly wasn’t a surprise she’d look outside their own pride. Politics playing a role was to be expected.

            But… so soon? And backed by her father. That was what hurt.

            Shiro had been sort of the communal pet human of the pride, but had largely been raised by Allura’s parents and Coran. Coran was the closest he had to a father, but he had always been treated well by Alfor and Aetheria. To hear that Alfor was already pushing for a new mate for Allura rammed home Shiro’s insignificance.

            He was not looking forward to the Assembly.

            To be honest, he rarely did; the other prides had even less regard for him than his own. _Not that this is really **my** pride, now is it?_ He would trade and barter a bit and then generally spend the rest of his time in his tent unless Allura pulled him out – and she usually would. There was always something she wanted to show him, or she wanted to dance, or she was making sure he had food, or there was someone to chase down for some reason. Somehow, he doubted she’d check up on him this time.

            As the news gathered speed, Shiro noticed Coran keeping an eye on him. _Not again_. He didn’t feel like being prodded back into a good mood. He knew it was selfish, and he knew he should be happy for Allura, but a lifetime of isolation and misery stretched ahead of him. How long could he go on like this?

            He watched for his opportunity and slipped away from camp once night fell. He needed peace and quiet. He needed to calm himself down and think. Coran was right: wallowing wouldn’t help. But he wasn’t sure what _would_.

            He climbed a tree and found a sturdy branch to sit on. There was just enough of a break in the canopy for him to see the stars overhead. He looked to them plaintively, begging for an answer that he knew they couldn’t give. _I have no one else to ask_. _No real parents. No actual family. No one._

            “Star gazing?”

            He didn’t look down at her. She was going to come up here anyway, whether he wanted her to or not. He just nodded. He didn’t have words right now, and didn’t want them – or company.

            But, of course, Allura was always the headstrong, bullheaded type. She clambered up the tree. “Scoot over so I can sit, too.” Shiro refused to move or even acknowledge the order. She snorted and climbed higher, then dropped down onto his branch. “Ha.”

            “I hope you’re satisfied with your victory,” he told her, still watching the stars.

            “Quite,” and she sounded very pleased indeed. And then, to his surprise, she fell silent. There wasn’t any tension, like she expected him to speak. She was acting like she’d just come out here to star-gaze herself, and was happy to forego talking. It was so easy, so natural, to fall into companionable silence with her. It was distracting. He kept his eyes on the stars.

            He lost his sense of time in the quietude; so much so that, when she finally spoke again, he jumped a little. “I love it out here. So quiet, so still, so peaceful.”

            “Really?” he asked, finally looking at her.

            She turned her gaze from the stars to regard his shock. “Why is that a surprise?”

            He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess… I never thought of you as the ‘tranquil’ type.”

            She grinned at him. “No? How _do_ you think of me?”

            “Fierce, strong, wild,” he replied immediately. He left off some of the other adjectives he normally ascribed to her (not all of them complimentary).

            Her grin softened into a smile. “Can I not be those things while occasionally being tranquil as well?”

            He snorted. “The closest I can get to ‘tranquil’ when I think of you is ‘lying in wait to pounce.’”

            She laughed, causing his heart to pick up. “I do more than hunt, you know.”

            He couldn’t help the faint smile that came onto his lips. “It’s just the first thing I think of when I think of you, that’s all.”

            “Well, perhaps you should move past your first thoughts.”

            “I'll try. You might have to help me though.”

            “And how would I do that?” she asked quietly.

            He licked his lips. “Help me remember tonight. You and me, out here with the stars.” He looked back to them; looking at her was getting dangerous. “Your smile. Your laughter.”

            “Are you telling me you would ever forget these things?!” she asked in mock-outrage. He could hear how forced it was. She was trying to lighten the mood.

            “Humans are so fragile.” He frowned down at himself. “Who knows what I might lose without meaning to?”

            He heard her sigh. “I’ve told you before: you won’t lose me. I promised you, didn’t I?”

            “Yeah,” he replied hollowly.

            “Why do I get the feeling you doubt my word all of a sudden?”

            The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Looking forward to the Assembly?”

            "Oh. I only told Father I’d talk with this other male. I promised him nothing.”

            “I hope he’s everything Alfor wants for you and more.”

            “Don’t be like this.”

            “Like _what_?” he snarled, whipping his gaze towards her.

            “THIS,” she growled back.

            “Why not? Why shouldn’t I be angry? Why shouldn’t I be upset? TELL ME.”

            “I don’t even know why you _are_ angry!”

            He blinked at her. “You don’t know? Really?” But it was too ludicrous to be a lie. It was too ridiculous to be anything but true, and the confusion on her face proved it.

            It knocked all the fight out of him. It was the third and final gut punch, that she didn’t know him as well as he’d always assumed. _All this time… I never thought I needed to say it. It felt superfluous. It felt unnecessary to explain. All these years, have you been humoring me? Have you been paying so little attention to me that you cannot see and smell the obvious?_

            He knew he should tell her. But he was at his breaking point. He started to climb back down the tree.

            “Shiro.” She was, of course, following him. “Tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”

            “With all your vaunted lion-soul senses, you don’t know?”

            She bristled at him. “I’m not a mind-reader!”

            “How you love to go on about your excellent sense of smell, your acute hearing! The fierce huntress who can stalk an elk for leagues but can’t see what’s right under her own nose!” He dropped to the ground.

            “ _You’re_ impugning **_my_** abilities?” she scoffed.

            She might as well have slapped him. He drew himself up to his full height to look down at her for the first time in his life. “You bet I am, Princess.”

            “Do _not_ call me that.” She was well and truly snarling now; even in the dark, he could make out the warning glint in her eyes. She was not in the mood to suffer his teasing.

            Which was just fine, since he wasn’t in the mood to put up with… anything. _I’m so tired of it all._ “Look, never mind. Let’s just get back to camp.”

            “Don’t you walk away from me.”

            He did stop, and turned back to look at her. “You can’t command me anymore.”

            Her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath. “Don’t.”

            “You’re no leader of mine.”

            “You PROMISED,” she almost whimpered it. But he wouldn’t be dissuaded.

            He took a breath to steel himself for the third declaration. “I am no longer a member of this pride.” She was stock-still in front of him. “I will leave at dawn.” And he strode back to the camp.

 

 

            He was, of course, as good as his word. His tent was gone when Allura got up the next morning. She hadn’t really slept; she’d been listening for the slightest sound of his departure. _I must have dozed off at some point_. It frustrated her, especially after his accusations the night before of her being oblivious.

            _What am I missing?_ she kept asking herself.

            Of course, almost immediately, the answer was _Shiro._ She stood where his tent had been, glaring at the flattened grass as if it had personally betrayed her.

            “What happened?” Coran asked behind her.

            “Shiro’s gone.”

            “Yes, thank you for that, Allura,” he replied dryly. “I was hoping for something beyond the blatantly obvious.”

            “Watch your tone,” she warned without turning around. It should’ve felt weird, pulling rank on the man who was like a second father to her (even more so since he’d taken up with her actual father after her mother’s death). But she wasn’t in the mood.

            “Sorry.” It was perfunctory, not terribly genuine-sounding. She let it slide. He continued to press her, “He just up and left?”

            “He said it three times. More or less. Twice he denied my leadership of him, and then he declared himself no longer a member of the pride. I was too shocked to stop him.” Her lower lip started to tremble; she bit down in hopes of stopping it.

            “But why?”

            “I don’t even know,” she admitted quietly, voice taut. Every part of her felt tense with anger, sadness, confusion. “He wouldn’t tell me. He just kept acting like I should already know.”

            Coran turned to her; she could see him out of the corner of her eye. But he didn’t say anything. When she finally tore her eyes from what had been Shiro’s tent, he was just staring at her.

            She blinked a little and then realization hit her. “Oh, not you, too!”

            Coran looked around and she realized they weren’t alone. Everyone else was waking up, and the sudden disappearance of any member of the pride was always going to be news. “If you really need an explanation, maybe later?” he offered.

            “By the winds and stars, he _left_ ,” Romelle whispered from Allura’s other side. She kneeled down and put her hand on the flattened grass. “Still some warmth, but not much.” She looked up at her. “We could track him down easily enough; he doesn’t have much of a head start.”

            “He’s no longer our concern,” she informed her cousin. “He’s left the pride.” _He’s broken his promise._ “We’ll hope for the best for him, but we have an Assembly to prepare for, and for which we are expected to play host.” She scuffed at the grass, trying to fluff it up and hide the fact that there had ever been anything there. _If this is how you want it, Shiro, then so be it._

**~End of Chapter 1~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
>   
> 
> 
> So, Shiro's taken off for parts unknown without explaining to Allura _why_ he's so upset! I mean, it's not like lion-souls have super hearing or super smell or... oh wait, they do. Hrm. I'm sure Allura will be fine and not do ANYTHING rash or impulsive while she's upset about her BFF taking off on her.
> 
>  
> 
> In any case, you'll have to wait until Chapter 2 to find out!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's learning what it means to be human, and who he is without the pride. Allura's learning what it means to be a dominant, and what the pride is like without Shiro in it. New worlds, new allies, new... villains? Surely not. The real question is: who's friend and who's foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 of my collaboration with the amazingly talented [@yliseryn](http://yliseryn.tumblr.com/): co-worldbuilder and artist extraordinaire! 
> 
> As usual, many thanks to [Echo Menhir](http://explodingcrenelation.tumblr.com/) for her editing expertise!
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for your patience. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. ^_^

             It took him three days’ walking to reach the nearest human settlement. He hesitated when he was within sight of the town proper. He swallowed hard and fought the urge to bolt back in the other direction. His first day out, he’d been fueled by his anger; that night, up in a tree, he’d sobbed himself to sleep. He pushed through the second day on pure stubbornness, ignoring how emotionally wrung-out he was. He dropped into sleep easily that night. By the third day, he’d stabilized somewhat and started to try to work out the logistics of his plan.

            Because, until the dawn of that third day, he hadn’t had a plan at all. He’d known in which direction the nearest town was, but not how far. He hadn’t any idea at all what to do when he got there. He didn’t have a clue as to how to eat once his personal stores ran out and he was out of the forest. How did humans live?

            The temptation to flee back to everything he’d ever known was strong. _But I don’t belong there._ Looking back on it, it had always been stupid for him to believe he could ever fit in with them. He had to be with others of his own kind. He had to learn how to be human.

            He wondered bitterly why they’d taken him in at all. It was a story that was never told, at least, not within his hearing. Why raise him, feed him, clothe and shelter him all this time? Why treat him as one of them when he could never _be_ one of them?

            This town – with its wood and stone buildings, muddy streets, noise, and smells – was where he belonged. No more roaming the wilds. He would stay here and let the pride move on without him, as they had to. He squared his shoulders, lifted his chin, swallowed his fear and bitterness, and went forward.

 

 

            Allura watched the next pride arrive. “That one is Lotor’s,” Coran told her. “We’re expecting another three prides yet.”

            She sighed. “I have work to do.”

            “Really? Like what?” he asked.

            She couldn’t actually think of anything that needed doing. The prides already knew they were expected and welcomed; they were setting up tents and wagons nearby. A large central gathering tent was being raised for festivities and the ceremony to introduce her to the other prides as a dominant. Other than that, it was business as usual.

            She said the first thing that came to mind. “Hunting. We have a lot of people to feed.”

            “They can hunt for themselves.”

            “They shouldn’t have to.”

            “You have nothing to prove.”

            “I’m not trying to prove anything.”

            “Then you’re looking for an excuse to leave.”

            She growled at him a little but couldn’t refute the obvious truth.

            Coran held up his hands. “It’s not as if I could stop you. Even when you were a cub, I couldn’t.”

            “That’s right,” she said, lifting her chin at the reminder.

            “You and Shi-”

            “DON’T,” she snapped instantly. “Don’t you dare say his name.”

            “He’s not a member of the pride anymore, but it doesn’t change your past with him.”

            “Yes, it does.” His leaving soured the once-sweet memories of her youth.

            Coran rolled his eyes. “Well, it doesn’t change _my_ past with him, or the pride’s. You can try to erase him from history but it won’t work.”

            She huffed. “I have things to do,” she insisted.

            “And I can’t stop you. We’ve been through this. But you can’t stay angry at him forever.”

            “Can’t I?” She melted into her lion form, dropping to all fours. Clothing became fur, hands became paws, her senses – already better than a mere human’s – sharpened into their full power. She was larger than any mere lion, and that feeling of confidence and power steadied her. But not enough. Not yet. She took off, running away from the just-arriving pride, away into the forest. She listened for Coran to follow her. He did not, nor did anyone else.

            She gathered speed, darting around and in between trees, leaping over fallen logs. She let the breeze ruffle her fur and blinked away tears (likely caused by the stinging wind irritating her eyes, she told herself). She ran until she couldn’t any longer. She collapsed in some underbrush and rolled onto her back, returning to human form to stare up at the canopy and the sky beyond as she caught her breath.

            She knew she’d have to return. She had duties and responsibilities. She had promises to keep _unlike some people_. She should get up and hunt while she could, as cover for why she was out here, so no one would have any reason to suspect she just had to run and hide and cry.

            It was a sick joke that she was out here in the first place because she missed him, but feeling like this only made her miss him more. He had always been her sanctuary from her responsibilities. She had relied on him to be that forever. As upset as she’d been that he would never be chosen as anyone’s mate, she had (somewhat-guiltily) consoled herself with the knowledge that he’d never be taken from her.

            Her life had been mapped out for her and it had been perfect: she would become a dominant, he would support her, and things would be good. She’d assumed mating and cubs would happen in there somewhere, but hadn’t given it much thought. She’d never questioned anything in her life: not her role in the pride, not his steady presence, nothing.

            _“You don’t know?”_

            She’d never questioned. Why should she?

            He’d promised.

_“So did you.”_

            She rolled onto her side and then stood up. She had to hunt. No one could know.

            And if her life had turned out differently than she’d always assumed, well, she supposed that was her own fault for assuming. For trusting anyone – even him – so implicitly. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

 

 

            Shiro felt like everyone was staring at him. He cleared his throat but kept his head up and his eyes straight ahead. He was heading for the center of the noise, there to introduce himself as new to town and uncertain where to go or what to do. He had some barter goods that he hoped would secure him somewhere to stay for the night; if not, he’d camp out on the edge of town again. He wanted to be able to see how humans lived though. The buildings looked stuffy and uncomfortable to him, but he supposed there was something to be said for permanence, for knowing that you wouldn’t have to leave if you didn’t want to. _Quite a lot to be said for that, honestly._

            He shook off the impending sour mood as he approached the loudest part of town. If everyone hadn’t been staring at him before, they were now. Humans covered their entire feet, he discovered, as well as arms. If any of them had markings such as the one on his right arm, he couldn’t see them. He couldn’t see scars either.

            Shiro couldn’t figure out who here might be dominant. He turned to the nearest human, a female, and opened his mouth to ask her his questions, but she turned red and ran away before he could get a word out. He readjusted his pack on his back and frowned at the reaction.

            “Don’t worry about her, honey,” a woman’s voice croaked at him. He turned to look at an older female (older than the one who’d run off, anyway) with brown curly hair, wearing mostly red. _Oh, a dominance color._ He approached her slowly. The woman grinned, showing off a few missing teeth. “New in town?”

            He nodded.

            “Lookin’ for a good time?”

            His brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

            She laughed. “Strapping young thing like you, I might give a discount to.”

            “Discount? I’m sorry, I am not familiar with this word.”

            She chuckled again. “Oh, come on, you can’t be _that_ innocent.”

            He was only getting more and more confused. Was he being given some sort of test? He was almost certainly failing. “I’m sorry for my misunderstanding, dominant.”

            “Dominant?” Her eyes widened a little. “Oh, is _that_ how you like it?”

            “Like _what_?!” he asked in frustration. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” It was no way to talk to a dominant, but he was getting fed up at feeling like the butt of a joke.

            “You poor thing. You need an education.” She walked up to him and patted his cheek twice. “You might actually be a little _too_ sweet for me. Only thing I teach is poor judgement.” She laughed and walked away.

            Shiro was bewildered by the entire encounter. The throng of humans talking and yelling and laughing carried on around him. Those passing him continued to stare him up and down. He shifted his pack again. He felt in distinct need of rescue.

            He backed away from the crowd, already making up his mind to camp on the edge of town again. He wanted the familiarity of his own tent. He wanted to be home.

            “Kenichi?” a voice asked behind him. He whipped around, confused at the word.

            An older male was there, peering up at him. He wasn’t that much shorter than Shiro himself, but he was… strange. He had wire-and-glass circles on his face that he was adjusting. “I’m sorry, I don’t know that word.”

            “You look so much li-…” The male gasped. “It can’t be.” He leaned in closer and Shiro leaned away in confusion. “ _Takashi_. You’re _alive_! Those monsters didn’t kill you after all?!”

            “Monsters? What?”

            “Oh, of course you wouldn’t remember, you were so little then. Did no one tell you?”

            “Tell me what?”

            The male straightened up. “If you aren’t the son of the long-lost Shirogane family, then I’m the King of France.”

            “Oh! You’re a male dominant. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

            The male laughed. “Hardly any such a thing. That’s the point. Here, come with me, Takashi.”

            “My name isn’t Takashi, it’s Shi…” He paused. “Shiro.” _As in Shirogane_. The similar sounds were unmistakable. He was intrigued.

            The male smiled. “I can call you that if you’d prefer. I’m Sam Holt. C’mon, we’ll get you a room at the inn where we’re staying.”

            Shiro hesitated. “Do they accept barter? I have wild berries, dried game, honey…”

            Sam Holt shook his head. “Don’t you worry about that. I owe your father a debt, and I thought fair sure I’d go to my grave being unable to repay it.”

            “The name is similar, I will grant, but I don’t know that I am this male’s cu-,” he caught himself, “son.”

            Sam gave him a quizzical look nonetheless, but then shrugged. “You’re the spitting image of him. ‘Cept you got your mother’s eyes.”

            “I would like to hear about this Shirogane family,” he decided. “If caring for me becomes burdensome, I will find a way to repay you, Sam Holt.”

            “Just Sam’s fine.” He grinned. “And aside from the strange way of talking, you sound just like your father. C’mon.”

 

 

            Lotor greeted her first. “You must be Allura. Congratulations on your dominance.” His voice was smooth, rich, and confident. It reminded her of the blood of a fresh kill.

            She arched an eyebrow and shared a look with Elythe and Dagha, the other two dominants. As the elder females, they should’ve been greeted before her. She wasn’t sure if he was the type to break protocol or if he’d heard that she was. She didn’t respond to him.

            He waited a beat before turning to the other dominants. Allura evaluated him as he greeted them and her father. He was prettier than he was handsome, but his voice was certainly easy on the ears. He was leaner than most of the males in her pride, but presumably that would make him quicker and more agile. She was one of the strongest females of her generation; her cubs would not lack for strength. Perhaps it would be better to choose a faster male, to balance things out.

            When he was done glad-handing the others, he returned to her instantly. “I’ve heard much of you, Allura.”

            “You must have time to sit around and gossip then,” she observed icily.

            “Allura!” her father growled at her.

            She sighed. “I apologize,” she said formally. She heard her father tsk; he could tell by her tone that she didn’t mean it, she was sure.

            But Lotor just smiled. “I would welcome the chance to talk with you about our prides’ shared interests.”

            She remembered her promise to her father. “Very well. Here in camp. No ‘taking a stroll’ nonsense.”

            “Of course not,” he agreed. Her father huffed and left. The other dominants shared a look and departed, but not before Dagha patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. She smiled briefly at them before pulling her icy demeanor back on for her ‘guest’. They were standing near the campfire, but most of the prides’ members were busy with their own tasks, so there was a modicum of privacy, without the two of them being isolated.

            “I hope your travels went well,” she said civilly. She took a seat on the nearest rug laid out by the fire and indicated he could do the same. To his credit, he didn’t sit until she did so, nor did he sit too close to her. _Only willing to push protocol so far, are you? Good._

            “Very, thank you. The weather proved excellent, and the occasion for the Assembly has us all quite excited.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Let us be clear, shall we? I am not impressed by pretty males with mouths full of prettier lies.”

            That finally got a frown out of him. “I haven’t lied.”

            “Yet. You are a charmer, Lotor. I don’t trust charmers. They have agendas, schemes.”

            “Do we not all have plans?” he countered evenly. He didn’t sound upset, but his smooth-talking tone had taken a hit. “You cannot pretend you’re unambitious.” He pointed to her cheeks. “Your hunt-marks are red. You made a claim for dominance at a young age, and now here you are. You are not without your own agenda. Similarly, your pride has had… problems with Hunters in the past. Do you not have plans to deal with that?”

            “You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “But I still don’t trust you.”

            “Well, you’ve only just met me. I’d be surprised if a dominant trusted so easily. So, instruct me on how to earn your trust.”

            She side-eyed him hard for a long moment, then stood abruptly. “Prove to me that you can protect yourself and others. Fight me.”

            He rose when she did, and his eyebrows went up as well at her demand. “I don’t wish to injure you in any way.”

            “I doubt very much that you could.”

            “So proud. If you’re not careful, that could be your downfall. It is, however, very attractive.”

            She rolled her eyes again. “No bloodshed. Sparring as we are. Not a true fight. I would not, after all, wish to injure _you_.”

            He grinned just a little. It was a look that well suited him. “As you wish.”

 

 

            Shiro was unnerved by the children. Sam Holt had two of them with him: a son named Matthew and a daughter who, when introduced as “Katherine,” insisted she be called “Pidge” instead. They were different ages – Sam indicated Matthew was 17 and “Pidge” 14 – but they looked so similar as to be nearly twins. In fact, Pidge looked, to Shiro, like an all-around smaller copy of her brother, save that her hair was longer (though pulled back to be out of her face). Matt had his own pair of wire-and-glass circles, like his father, but Pidge didn’t have a set of her own yet.

            And when they heard who he was – or at least who Sam thought he was – he was instantly the focus of intense scrutiny from the uncannily-similar siblings. They hardly took their eyes off of him, and it was getting a little creepy. But he wasn’t about to leave until he heard about this Shirogane family.

            Sam arranged a room for him for the night and ordered a meal for the four of them. Shiro felt uneasy about being taken care of like this, without contributing, but Sam was insistent on it. He kept his things with him at the table though, rather than taking them to his room. They were his entire worldly possessions, after all; if something happened to them, he would be even worse off than he was. As it stood, he could make some form of restitution with his meager barter goods if he had to. He refused to surrender the one surety he had.

            “So, you’ve never even heard of your family?” Sam asked him as they settled in at the table to await their meal.

            “The Shiroganes are _famous_ ,” Matt piped up.

            “ _Were_ ,” Pidge corrected. “Past tense.”

            “Hush now,” Sam said.

            “‘Were?’” Shiro asked, brow furrowing.

            Sam cleared his throat. “Well, I’m afraid you’re the last Shirogane, as far as we know. Presumably Kenichi and Yumiko had family back home, but they didn’t talk about them much, at least, not with anyone I know.”

            “Kenichi and Yumiko?”

            “Your mother and father. If I’m right, and I really do think I am. I was good friends with them. Except for Yumiko’s eyes, you could be Kenichi reborn. You look to be about the right age. And the fact that you think your name is ‘Shiro’...”

            “It _is_ Shiro,” he insisted.

            Sam apologized. “Sorry. You’re right, of course. Your name is whatever you say it is.” He ruffled Pidge’s hair. “So, let me tell you the story, and maybe you’ll understand why I think you’re Kenichi’s son.”

            Their orders arrived just then. Shiro was impatient to hear this, but respected Sam’s decision not to talk while their food was being set out. _Kenichi_. _Yumiko_. They were words formed of strange sounds. But they were names, and possibly of his real parents. If nothing else, Sam Holt wanted to tell him this story, and after all the male had done for him, Shiro owed him the courtesy of listening.

            He watched how the humans ate and mimicked them as Sam spoke.

            “I knew your… the Shiroganes professionally. They were amazing, very skilled. And like the kids told you, they quickly became famous in these parts. So dedicated.” He shook his head. “I’d never seen anyone like them. Never have again since. Well, the problem is fame cuts both ways.”

            Shiro frowned. “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but what, exactly, were they famous for?”

            “They’re the best were-hunters ever!” Matt declared enthusiastically.

            “Were-hunters?” he asked. He had a terrible feeling he knew what they meant. He hoped he was wrong.

            The Holts shared a look amongst themselves. “They hunted weres. Werewolves, werelions, were _whatever_ ,” Pidge explained.

            “I don’t know this ‘were’ term,” he said. “But I think I know the kind of Hunter you are talking about.” It chilled his blood.

            That seemed to relieve them somewhat. “Where have you been living?” Matt asked incredulously.

            “Hush, m’boy. We’ll get to that.” Sam drank from his mug. “So, yes, the Shiroganes were famous were-hunters. And not just among us. The weres knew it, too.

            “It was a night attack. Moonless, dark. I don’t know the exact details, but from what was reported? Their house was destroyed. Just torn apart. Blood everywhere. Their bodies were just slashed to ribbons.” He sighed, looking down at his meal. “And their infant son was gone. Barely a year old. We… assumed the worst.”

            Shiro had to ignore the sick feelings in him. “And you think I’m this son. Because I’m the right age and I look like Kenichi?” But it _fit_.

            This would explain how he came to be with the pride. This would explain why no one spoke of it. He rubbed the scar over the bridge of his nose. He’d had it as long as he could remember. Maybe…

            Maybe there was Hunter blood in his veins. He felt like his world was spinning.

            “Yes,” Sam agreed. “And I can’t help but wonder where you’ve been all this time. What happened to you? What was your life like growing up?”

            “What were they like?” Shiro asked instead. He couldn’t answer those questions right now, and the dawning realization that this was actually possible – that these could really be his parents, the family that had been lost to him for so long – intensified his curiosity about these people. “Kenichi and Yumiko? I mean, aside from being famous and skilled and all that. What were they like as just regular people?”

            His host frowned at being derailed, but then shrugged. “Good people. Didn’t worship the same as us, but that never bothered us any. They helped everyone they could, all the time. Especially children.” He laughed a little. “Street urchins would take the Shiroganes for every coin they had! Not thieving, mind you: Yumiko had to stop Kenichi from just giving all their money away. They wanted kids so badly. Oh, she was a vision when she was pregnant, never stopped smiling. She stopped hunting during that time, of course. They took every precaution. She was almost ready to start up again when they were killed. Such a tragedy.” He cleared his throat. “But enough of that.

            “They were quiet people, for the most part. And, boy, could they drink!” He laughed again, gaze soft with memory. “I saw Yumiko drink more than one full-grown man under the table, and Kenichi would top us all. He’d look just as steady and sure as if he were facing down an army of werewolves, and then he’d stand up and just fall over. It’s like the booze hit him all at once.” He laughed more. “Yumiko was smarter than that, so it’d be down to her to drag him home. That was a chore for her, I’m sure. She was strong, no doubt, but not so much as he was, of course. She was fast though. They were an incredible team.

            “More than anything else, they loved each other something fierce. Completely devoted to one another. I remember one time, this wench would _not_ leave Kenichi alone. He was just ignoring her, but she was practically trying to smother him with her chest. Yumiko joined us about then and she just walked up to the wench and looked at her. I don’t know how to explain it. Just this long, steady look, and the woman left us alone after that. A different wench brought Yumiko’s food out to her, even. She could be real possessive, even when she had no cause to be. And heaven help you if you tried to get handsy with Yumiko! Kenichi didn’t even have to do anything because she’d break a man’s hand if he tried to grab her ass.”

            “I want to be just like Yumiko when I grow up,” Pidge announced.

            “We’ll see,” her father told her fondly. “Eat your peas; they’re good for you. Help you grow up big and strong.”

            Shiro was trying to work through all of this information. _Hunters_. It was hard to get around that.

            _Is that what I was meant to be? A Hunter?_ But such a destiny… he couldn’t accept that. The thought of Hunting and killing the animal-souled… his pride… _They’re not my pride. They never were. I’m not like them. I wasn’t supposed to be like them_. It felt wrong. Everything he knew had flipped upside down somehow.

            “You okay, son?” Sam asked him.

            He shook his head to try to clear it. “Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in. I’m… honored that you feel I am a part of your friends’ family.” Something occurred to him. “You said you knew them ‘professionally’? So, that means…”

            “We’re were-hunters, too!” Pidge declared proudly. “Well, Daddy and I am; Matt’s too much of a bookworm.”

            “I am researching new and more effective methods to use against this age-old enemy,” he informed her loftily. “I’m as much a Hunter as Dad is.”

            “You stay inside and READ all the time,” she charged.

            Sam interrupted before the two of them could really get going. “Now, now, both of you settle down. Knowledge of our enemy is just as important as knowing how to fight. You’re both going to be excellent Hunters when you grow up.”

            “I-I’m sure they will be,” Shiro said, hoping he didn’t look as sick at the thought as he felt.

 

 

            Allura blocked Lotor’s strike and spun away, trying to get behind him for her own blow. He ducked and darted away, turning to face her again. They were both grinning and breathing hard, watching each other for the next move.

            His attacks came in flurries of feints to disguise his one true target. He _was_ quick on his feet, lithe, and agile, as she’d surmised. He was a faster opponent than she was used to, and she was enjoying the challenge. He was definitely keeping her on her toes.

            Each of them had scored a point on the other; this was the tie-breaker round. They’d gathered a crowd, but she hardly noticed. She did a couple of false-starts and danced away when he came in for a punch. He retreated quickly. They both knew by now that if she caught hold of him, she’d win.

            He swooped back in and she let him come at her. She expended precious energy dodging feints she didn’t have to bother with, waiting for the real strike to come. When it did, she summoned up a burst of her strength, dodged to the side, and caught his wrist. He had gotten cocky because of her “believing” his false attacks. She spun into a wrist lock and he cried out as she dropped him to his knees.

            “I yield,” he panted breathlessly, and she released him to the applause of the crowd (and the cheers of her pride). She smiled at them all as she tried to catch her breath. She was a sweaty mess and desperately in need of a bath now, but it had been a good workout.

            Lotor rose and turned to her, smiling as well. “Have I earned your trust then?”

            She let her smile fade somewhat. “You better not have been going easy on me as a ploy, Lotor.”

            “Going easy on _you_?” he asked incredulously, chest still heaving. “I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t the other way around!”

            She chuckled a little. “Well, I’d promised not to injure you.”

            “I appreciate your restraint,” he said, running a hand back through his battle-mussed tresses. “More than I can say. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

            She shrugged. “I distrust you less.”

            “I’ll take my victories where I can get them.”

            “And I am willing to listen to your ideas on dealing with the Hunter problem. At dinner tonight.”

            He smiled and nodded. “Most gracious. If you’ll excuse me, I’m in rather terrible need of a bath.”

            She smirked. “You’re excused.” He bowed and left and she watched him go.

            “Wellllll….?”

            Allura frowned at hearing her cousin’s voice behind her. “Well what, Romelle?”

            “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”

            She rolled her eyes and turned to face her. “You can ‘have fun’ with him if you want. As you pointed out, that’s what sylphroot is for.”

            Romelle snorted. “Careful, I might. But honestly, what do you think of him? You know your father wants you to choose him.”

            Allura shrugged. “He wouldn’t be a bad mate, I suppose.”

            “Oh, from you that’s high praise.” She laughed. “Come on; Elythe got a bath ready for you when she saw you two sparring.”

            “Bless her,” Allura breathed. She followed Romelle towards Elythe’s tent. “Do I want to know why my fellow dominant wants me clean so badly?”

            “Because ‘he wouldn’t be a bad mate,’” she parroted back at her. “And because the pride is worried about the Hunters.”

            “They haven’t been a problem for so many years.”

            “Exactly. The older dominants are worried that they’re planning something. They think our good luck is running out.”

            “Hrm,” Allura mused. “Good point.”

            “Also, Elythe doesn’t want you stinking up the place at dinner.”

            Allura laughed. “Very good point.”

            Romelle smiled. “It’s nice to hear you laugh again. C’mon; after your bath, I want you to help me pick out what to wear. Even if I can’t have Lotor, there are some _amazing_ males in that last pride that arrived…”

            Allura snorted. “And now I know why _you_ volunteered to play messenger.”

            “You have responsibilities; I have fun. Remember?”

            “Distinctly,” she groaned. “Let’s get to it then. I want to be clean _so badly_.”

 

            Shiro stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. The bed was too soft, too foreign, and even if it weren’t, his mind bounced between two things: _My parents were Hunters_. _The pride killed my parents_.

            He didn’t know how to feel about this. It was still strange to think that his parents had been Hunters; but if he accepted Kenichi and Yumiko Shirogane were, in fact, his true father and mother, then…

            _“Their bodies were just slashed to ribbons_ , _”_ Sam had said. Shiro rubbed the scar across his nose again.

            _They killed my parents and took me away with them. Why bother? Why not just kill me? One less human, one less potential Hunter. Was I always meant to be some sort of… of trophy? A pet? I could never be one of the pride; they would never let me. So why take me?_

            He thought of why he’d left the pride: his isolation, his misery. Had they thought about that when they took him? Was that part of the plan? Was this all part of their revenge? He growled at the back of his throat, even though there was no one in the room to threaten.

            He could’ve had a life with his real parents. He would have belonged with them. He would have known his place in the world and would not have been forever relegated to some “lesser” status as an unfortunate, an object of pity and derision.

            _They should have killed me with my parents!_ he thought bitterly. _Raising me to value what they do, to want the same things all the cubs want, and then to be told, “No, you can’t have that, and you can never be that.” The ultimate cruelty. Those vicious… **beasts**._

His parents had been Hunters. It was the blood of Hunters in his veins. Here in this strange world, it was Hunters who had taken him in and shown him courtesy and respect.

            He knew where he belonged now.

 

 

            “Well, my concern,” Allura said after she’d swallowed her food, “is that we’ll be a larger target if we actually merge the prides. And that’s setting aside the dominants issue.”

            “More dominants would be useful for managing a larger pride,” Lotor pointed out smoothly. “And what does it matter if we’re a larger target? We’re also clearly a more dangerous one. What Hunter in their right mind would come up against a pride that size?”

            “So, your suggestion is a large force to act as a deterrent?” she clarified before popping another meaty morsel into her mouth. It was a bit more succulent than she expected, and some juice dribbled down her chin.

            He smiled and reached his hand towards her, wiping the juice away with his thumb. She blushed and jerked her head back, but he just grinned and licked his thumb clean. “Not only a deterrent. We will have enough power to take the fight _to_ the Hunters.”

            “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she hedged, trying to ignore his brazen action.

            “Your pride has had some success with that, I’d thought?”

            She frowned. “Two Hunters eliminated. Hardly worth the effort we expended.” She tried not to think of the rest of that story. It wasn’t worth bringing up anymore.

            “But that was two decades ago, wasn’t it?” She nodded. “And have the Hunters come after you in that time?”

            “No, but…”

            “Then I’d say it was worth the effort. I know there will always be Hunters; they seem to breed like rabbits. But if we take out enough of them, the rest will stay away. They may be annoying, but they’re not stupid.”

            “You do have a point,” she conceded. But she still wasn’t sure she liked the idea.

            “You alone could take out a dozen Hunters,” he told her, all but purring. With his eyes narrowed at her like that, he looked… dangerous. But his smile was lazy and his body language relaxed. Altogether, it spoke of an intense fixation – and interest – in her. It was hard not to be flattered.

            She was mostly sure her blush had died down and wasn’t coming back. But she smiled at him anyway. “Half a dozen, perhaps.”

            “You underrate yourself.”

            “Flatterer.”

            “Truth-teller,” he corrected.

            Now her blush _was_ coming back. Even with the fire so near, she could feel the added heat in her cheeks. “You have ulterior motives in your ‘truth-telling’,” she retorted.

            He shrugged. “So what if I do? I’m sure you know what they are.”

            “I do. And I’m sure you’ll not achieve them this night,” she informed him.

            “I’m after more than a single night’s prize.”

            She openly evaluated him and then schooled herself to look unimpressed. “Be careful your reach does not exceed your grasp.”

            “I am always careful.”

            “And ambitious.”

            “We’ve had that discussion, have we not? Am I still distasteful to you, Allura? How many more duels must be fought between us before I can sway you?”

            “I am not easily swayed, Lotor.”

            “Nor would I expect you to be.”

            “Then you should not be surprised by my answers.”

            “I am not surprised, only disappointed.”

            “Patience yields focus,” she told him without thinking. It was something she’d heard Shiro tell the cubs often. She could hear it in her head, in his voice. It felt like she’d just stabbed herself.

            But the reminder of Shiro brought with it the reminder of his abandonment, of his broken promise, of plans ruined. She steadied her heart and mind.

            Lotor was still talking, of course; it seemed to be his favorite pastime. “I can focus on no one and nothing but you. And you are worth waiting for.”

            “I’m glad to hear it. Excuse me.” She rose from her seat and went over to her father. He was with some of the older males, laughing and carousing, his arm draped around Coran’s shoulders.

            “Father,” she said, “we need to talk.”

            He groaned as the other males fell silent in the presence of a dominant. “Yes, yes. Just give me a moment; I am not as young as I used to be.” He kissed Coran’s cheek and got to his feet with a groan. “Lead on, daughter.”

            She took him a little ways away from the noise and the heat and the press of a great many bodies (and away from listening ears as well). She steeled herself as the night air cooled around them. “I have spoken with Lotor.”

            “I noticed. And what is your opinion of him?”

            “I am… still uncertain as to his plan. There are details to be worked out. But I will bring that up tomorrow with the other dominants. It is worth investigating.”

            “And Lotor himself?” he asked.

            She raised her chin as she inhaled. “I agree to the match. We’ll have the ceremony the last night of the Assembly. I want the focus for now to be on our people’s protection and this plan of his to deal with the Hunters.” She smiled. “We’ll end things on a high note.”

            He beamed at her and hugged her. Despite the warmth of her father’s arms, she felt cold inside.

 

 

            “Good morning!” Sam Holt was chipper. “How’d you sleep?”

            “Fine,” Shiro lied without fear. He knew his scent changed when he lied, even if it were little untruths for the sake of courtesy. The humans wouldn’t know, however. It was… freeing, in a sense. There was no one to sniff out his emotions, to hear his pulse race.

            Not that he intended to start lying all the time. Truth was always better, but at least now he had the option of lying if he felt he had to. Like answering a question about how he’d slept on a strange bed in a strange place with a heart full of anger and a mind full of questions.

            “I do have some more questions, if you don’t mind?”

            Sam regarded him over his mug. “I’ve more than a few myself, lad.”

            Shiro took a seat opposite him at the table he’d parked himself at. “There are things I’m not comfortable answering,” he said, having thought about this before getting dressed and returning to the common room. “But I’ll answer as much as I can for you. Perhaps we can trade? One question for another?”

            Sam nodded. “I’ll take some questions answered over none.”

            “You can go first then,” Shiro said. “I asked so much of you last night; it only seems fair.”

            Sam smiled a little. “Your father’s son, I swear. Well then, where’ve you been all this time?”

            Shiro cleared his throat. “A group of wanderers took me in and raised me. I knew they weren’t my real family, but I never knew what actually happened until last night.”

            “Ah. That explains quite a bit, actually. Thank you. Your turn.”

            “Where are Matthew and Pidge?” It wasn’t the question he’d meant to ask, but he _was_ curious.

            Sam chuckled. “Matt’s still sleeping; I’d wager he was up late reading when he shouldn’t have been. Pidge… well, damned if I know where she’s gotten herself off to. She can take care of herself, and she’s at least twice as curious as any cat I’ve ever known. Don’t count this as my question, but do you need some breakfast?”

            Shiro nodded and Sam waved one of the females who worked there over. Shiro ordered “whatever will inconvenience my friend the least,” and Sam rolled his eyes but just shrugged at her. She shrugged back and left. “So, what is your question then?” Shiro asked him.

            “What were these wanderers like? I didn’t think we had nomads this far north.”

            “Well, they’re certainly… unusual,” Shiro hedged. “But they took care of me. No doubt I’d have died if they hadn’t taken me in.” Sam frowned at him, and Shiro sighed. “Look, they’re a very private group of people. I left because I was unhappy there, but they _did_ save me. I would be doing them a disservice to repay years of hospitality and upbringing by betraying their secrets. They’re good people, they just don’t settle down, is all.”

            Sam grudgingly stopped pressing. “Your turn.”

            “Do you know what they wanted for me? Or, for their son, anyway?”

            “Your parents?” He thought a moment. “I know they wanted you to follow in their footsteps. I remember Yumiko patting her belly and saying ‘We’re going to put an end to all of this. Together.’” He smiled at Shiro.

            “‘An end to all of this,’” he repeated a bit hollowly.

            “My turn then,” Sam piped up. “These wanderers – they never told you about your family at all? Not even the name?”

            “It’s possible they didn’t know.” That was close enough to a lie that he was surprised Sam didn’t react to it. “They kept themselves apart from everyone else. Maybe they’d heard the surname; I really don’t know. I was always just ‘Shiro’ to them, and they didn’t want to discuss what had become of my real family. I didn’t question it until recently, and so here I am. My turn.” He leaned forward a little. “Your family doesn’t live here, I take it? What brings you to this town?”

            Sam smiled. “Business, as usual.”

            “Business?”

            “Ah-ah. My turn.”

            Shiro leaned back in his chair again, trying to ignore the pit of nervousness in his stomach. Worse still, this was when breakfast showed up: a bowl of some sort of sludge and a mug of tea. He thanked the female who’d brought it to him, but looked to Sam for his question. He wanted to get it out of the way so he could get back to his own.

            “Do you accept that you are Takashi Shirogane now? Because it sure sounds like you do.”

            Shiro rubbed the scar on his nose. “It answers a lot of questions,” he acknowledged. “It fills a lot of holes. So… yes. I suppose I do accept it.” He sighed. “I wish it hadn’t happened. That I could have known them.”

            “I wish the same, lad. Such a tragedy.” He shook his head. “Now, before you get to it, I’ll tell you I’ll not talk about business in here. Could scare people.” He indicated the sparsely-populated common room. There weren’t as many people about as there had been the night before, but that just meant voices were more clearly heard. “But I’ll tell you all about it outside after you finish your breakfast.”

            Shiro looked at the bowl curiously then back up at him. “Thank you,” he said. He would’ve preferred meat, but he wouldn’t turn down hospitality. The sludge turned out to be much as he expected, not terribly tasty. But he ate as much as he could and drank the bitter tea down. He asked questions about Sam’s family, about the kids, light things like that. He tried to keep his mind off of Hunting.

            Sam stopped pressing him about his upbringing and instead asked him about his skills. Shiro said he could fight bare-handed as well as gather plants, skin, hunt, and fish. Sam seemed interested in those.

            Once he’d finished as much as he could, Sam told the serving female to take the remaining “porridge” up to Matt, and he invited Shiro to come outside with him while he smoked his pipe. _Finally_.

            Shiro followed him out and they walked around to the back of the inn, where Sam leaned against the wall and pulled out a small pouch. “So, you’re interested in Hunting?”

            Shiro leaned against the wall, also. “Maybe?” Last night he had been, but that was before hearing there were Hunters in the area looking to… well, _Hunt_. “More interested in what brings you and your family out here specifically.”

            Sam side-eyed him pretty hard for that, and Shiro did his best to look nonchalant. It would never have fooled Coran or Al-…for, or any of the others, not for a second. But Sam shrugged as he tapped some of the pouch’s contents into the pipe’s bowl. “We’ve been coordinating with lots of Hunters,” he told him. “Found out there’s some big meeting of some weres going on. Werelions, from the look of it.” He shook his head as he closed the pouch up and tucked it away again. “Always hard ones to deal with. Anyway, we’re building up our forces. We’ve got a few surprises planned.”

            _The Assembly._ For a moment, he wondered if he could go with and find out who this male was that Alfor was so interested in as a mate for Allura. It was a brief flare, and he tamped it down with the reminder that Allura could be hurt in this plan. Or Coran. Or Alfor. Or the cubs. Or…

            As angry as he had been last night – and still was! – he felt guilty for ever considering becoming a Hunter.

            But… they _had_ killed his parents. Who had been Hunters and had probably killed however many lion-souls before that. Who might have killed humans in the first place to bring themselves to the attention of the Hunters. And… it made his head hurt to think on.

            “If you want to learn to be a Hunter, this isn’t the job to do it on,” Sam told him. “It’s going to be a bit of a mess. To be honest, the only reason I brought the kids along is so they can meet some of the other Hunter families. Good chance to get to know our allies, you know? If I have to get Matt to sit on Pidge to keep her from going, I’ll make him do it. But realistically? Well, we’re hoping to put a major dent in the population, but we know we’re not all coming back from this. Still, like I said: surprises. We have time to really plan this, and that’s what we’re doing.”

            _I have to warn them._

            _Do I? What do I really owe them?_

_Twenty years of life, at a minimum._

_Twenty years of torture and misery, with more planned for me._

_It wasn’t all miserable._ And the first thing his brain brought up as proof to back that claim was, of course, _Allura_. Afternoon naps and sparring and fishing and snitching cakes from her parents’ tent and hunting and berry-picking and wrestling and learning together.

            Allura in the starlight, laughing and smiling.

            It hurt still. It was like someone had stabbed him and never removed the knife.

            Sam spoke up. “Penny for your thoughts, lad?”

            “I don’t know. I… I have too many.”

            “Well, I’ll let you be for a bit then. You come find me again if you have any more questions.”

            Shiro just nodded and watched Sam walk off, puffing away on his pipe. Just when he thought his life was going to make sense again…

            So many people were going to die, on both sides. He thought about Sam never coming back to his kids. He thought about Coran being cut down by a Hunter’s silver-clad blade. He thought about Pidge sneaking off to prove herself and being mauled to death. He thought about Allura rushing into battle and taking a silver-tipped arrow to the heart.

            It all hurt. Every thought brought pain and confusion. He slid down the wall to sit in the dirt and stared out ahead of him, unseeing. His gaze was inward, frantic, afraid, and lost. Someone had to do something. But what could he do?

            He was weak, practically senseless, slow, and fragile. He was one person caught between two veritable armies. They’d been expecting, what? Five prides total, on top of their own? Did the Hunters really understand how many lion-souls there would be?

            He remembered Slaen’s exaggerated death throes during his demonstration. He couldn’t let that become real. He couldn’t just wallow. He had to do _something_.

 

 

            Allura left the dominants’ meeting and headed for the forest. She didn’t feel like dealing with her “betrothed,” who had announced the engagement to everyone last night and promptly began toasting his “beautiful mate-to-be.” He was a good match, they would have good cubs, and it would benefit the pride. That was the sum of her criteria.

            She didn’t really know where she was going, just “away from camp.” She found herself a good tree to climb and clambered up to stretch out on a branch. From there, she could look up through a small opening in the canopy and see the sky. It would be getting cold soon; they should start heading south. For now, she just stared up at the blue and let her mind wander, let herself dissolve into the heavens.

            “THERE you are.”

            Allura was roughly pulled back down to earth. She looked down at her cousin and Coran pacing below her tree branch. “Get down here,” Romelle demanded.

            “What makes you think you have the right to command me? EITHER of you,” she put in, before Coran could try it.

            He was old and wise enough not to. “We have to talk, Allura. Please?”

            “We can talk like this,” she insisted.

            “It’s about Shiro,” Romelle called up.

            Allura jumped straight down, landing immediately in front of her cousin, and snarled as she locked gazes with her. “Do NOT speak that name around me.”

            Romelle just folded her arms and stood her ground. “Or what? You gonna throw me out of the pride, too?”

            “I didn’t throw him out. He _LEFT_.”

            “You might as well have,” she growled back.

            “Please,” Coran said. “Allura, you wanted an explanation when he left.”

            “It’s unnecessary now.”

            “It’s more necessary than ever.”

            She whipped her head in his direction. “WHY?”

            But it was Romelle who answered. “Oh, honestly, Allura, he was in love with you!”

            She snapped back to her cousin, eyes wide in shock. All the anger had gone out of her, and it felt like it’d taken most of her breath with it. “… …what?” she finally managed.

            “He thought you knew because he assumed you could sense it,” Coran explained. “WE all could.”

            She just continued looking to Romelle, mouth moving and no sound coming out. Her cousin put a hand on her shoulder. “Allura, think a moment. Close your eyes.” She obeyed. She didn’t have the mental fortitude to resist. “Remember what Shiro smelled like and describe it.”

            Her brow furrowed but it was surprisingly easy. “Musky, rich. Leather. Soap, just after he’d had a bath.”

            “We all smell like soap just after a bath.”

            “Hush, Coran.”

            Allura kept going. “Earthy? Like oak.” She opened her eyes again. “Why?”

            “Because you know what he smelled like to me? All of that except the ‘rich musky’ scent… unless he was around you.”

            Coran nodded. “She’s right.”

            “He’s been in love with you for so long, you just think it’s his natural odor,” Romelle told her.

            Allura blinked and fell back against the tree trunk. It was the only thing holding her up. She shook her head. “No… no, you’re wrong. You just… just missed part of his scent, that’s all. Maybe…”

            “Allura,” said Coran, “tap out Shiro’s heartbeat. I’m sure you remember what it sounds like.”

            “What?”

            “Tap it out, on the tree.”

            She frowned but then tapped a quick heartbeat, the way she was used to hearing Shiro’s heart sound. Then Coran stepped up and started tapping out something else, something similar but slower.

            “That’s not…” she said.

            “It is. He’s human; his heart is usually slower than ours… unless he’s around you.”

            She stared at the ground and swallowed hard. “No wonder he was so angry. He was so upset about…” She raised her head to look at Coran. “But surely he couldn’t have thought that anything would come of it? I mean, he’s a human!”

            “He knew,” Coran confirmed. “He knew it was impossible. It didn’t stop him from loving you.”

            “It didn’t stop him from hurting at the thought of you mating with some stranger,” Romelle put in. Allura snarled at her briefly, but there wasn’t much heat in it. “Mad at me for hitting you with the truth? Be glad he _was_ human, or he’d’ve noticed your scent changing around him, too.”

            Allura straightened up, unwilling to deal with her cousin’s taunting this time. “He. Was. MY FRIEND.”

            She threw her hands up. “I give up then. At least you know the truth now.” She turned and walked away.

            Allura looked over at Coran. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

            “He didn’t think he had to. But he should have told you anyway,” he agreed. “And, well… he _did_ know nothing could come of it. He assumed you knew, but whether you knew or not wouldn’t actually change the situation.”

            “Then why tell me now?” she asked, trying to hold in the tears.

            “Because you deserve to be upset with him, but not so angry that you erase him from your life. You deserve to understand how he felt, even if he should’ve been the one to tell you himself. And because I know you, Allura. Known you since you were a cub. You think that, once you have the measure of someone, that they will never change. But people do change. They change their hair, their clothes, their minds. They fall in and out of love. They get hurt. They get old. They die. Shiro never stopped being your friend, but he changed, and you missed it. You needed to see the truth.”

            A sob finally broke out of her and she threw herself at Coran, who held her as her tears flowed. “He promised,” she cried against his shoulder. “He _promised_ and… so did I.”

            “I know.” He rubbed her back. “Get it all out now. I’ll find us a way to get you back into camp with as few people seeing you as possible.”

            She just nodded, not trusting herself to talk anymore. Everything he’d said that night came back to her. How angry he’d been with her. How it must’ve hurt him to realize how oblivious she was to him. _If I could have him back, I’d turn him right now_ , she thought. _Father and the others be damned._ But then her anger surged up, corrupting her sorrow. _But he **left**. He loved me and he **left me**. If he knew me half as well as he thought I knew him, he’d know I need him. I didn’t break my promise deliberately, but he did. HE CHOSE TO. _

            She sniffled and pulled out of Coran’s arms. “I’m… I’m okay. Just give me a bit and we can head back.” She mopped at her face. Rage and sadness warred within her, but mostly she just wished Shiro were here now instead of Coran so she could yell at him and he could yell at her. Let them yell it out, scream it until they were hoarse and exhausted with each other. They could go back to their separate tents and in the morning they’d fight and she’d win and they’d talk it all out and things would go back to normal. Everything would be normal again, if he’d just come back. But he was gone.

            She had responsibilities to see to, and _promises to keep_. To the pride. To Lotor and her father. She sucked in a breath. “Let’s go.”

 

 

            It was Pidge who found him. She cocked her head as she approached him. “Shiro? You okay?” She sat down opposite him. She was… studious, he thought. Like he was a curiosity.

            “I’m fine,” he said dismissively. _I’m sick of being a freak. I’m sick of not belonging._

            “You’re not,” she declared. “But I get it if you don’t want to talk about it.”

            “Thank you.”

            “I mean, it’s probably really hard to find out your entire family was killed by weres.”

            “Yes.”

            “And you never even got to know them.”

            “Yes.”

            “And you’ll never know who you would’ve been if they’d raised you and…”

            “Pidge!”

            “What? Oh, sorry. I was doing it again.” She started to stand.

            He sighed. “How long has your father been a Hunter? Do you mind if I ask?”

            She sat back down. “My whole life. Even before. And his father was a Hunter, and so on.”

            “Do only the males Hunt?”

            “No, but it’s usually guys. Your mom was an awesome Hunter! Uh, sorry.” She looked sheepish.

            “It’s okay. Why does your father Hunt? Is it just because it’s the family business?”

            She looked at him quizzically. “How do you not know?”

            “We traveled around a lot.”

            She frowned thoughtfully, but then shrugged and stood. “Come with me. I want to introduce you to some people.”

            “Who?” he asked warily, but he got to his feet anyway.

            “Friends.” Her lips curled into a crooked little smile. It was oddly endearing. “Come on.”

            He followed her into town. People were still staring at him. He felt naked without his pack on his back and worried it wouldn’t be safe. The more he was stared at, the more he wanted to just grab his things and run. Go set up his tent somewhere and not think about the Hunters or the lion-souls or any of it anymore. It made his head hurt and his heart sick: so much killing for so many generations. He felt like he _should_ do something, but one weakling against all of that death? _Maybe I should try anyway. What’s the worst that happens? I die? Isn’t that for the best? I don’t belong anywhere._

            Pidge was heading for the town square. There was slightly less noise here today than there had been the day before, but there was still a good crowd. Pidge was good at ducking and dodging her way through, and Shiro nearly lost her a couple of times. When they came out the other side, Pidge started waving. “Hey, guys!”

            Shiro looked at the “guys” she was greeting. His eyes flew immediately to the largest male, who was all-around big the same way Pidge was all-around small. He smiled widely and Shiro started when he picked Pidge up and looked like he was about to crush her, but she just laughed and hugged him back and he set her back down. “This is Hunk,” she said. “And these guys are Lance and Keith.” She gestured to the other two.

            They were lankier in build than (the rather appropriately-named) Hunk. The one Pidge had indicated as “Keith” narrowed his eyes at him, but Lance just smiled and held his hand out. “And you are?” he asked.

            If Shiro hadn’t seen others do this already, he’d’ve been very confused. He took Lance’s hand and shook it hard. “YOW! Careful!” Lance yelped.

            Shiro dropped his hand quickly. “Oh, sorry. I’m Shi-…uh… Takashi Shirogane, I guess.”

            They stared at him.

            “Whoa, whoa, wait, did he say ‘Shirogane’?” Hunk asked.

            “Like _the_ Shiroganes?” Keith said. “No way.”

            “I thought you were all dead!” Lance said, still rubbing his wrist.

            “It’s the craziest thing!” Pidge agreed. “Dad just _found_ him wandering around the market.”

            “How do we know he’s a Shirogane then?” Keith pursued. He was back to studying Shiro through slitted eyelids.

            Shiro shrugged. “You don’t. _I_ don’t, for that matter. But Sam Holt seems convinced.” He briefly explained his missing family and how he was raised by wanderers. He ended with, “I’ve just been ‘Shiro’ all my life. Maybe I’m just desperate to actually have a family, even if they’re gone. I don’t know. But it fits.”

            They were silent until Lance gave a low whistle. “That is one hell of a story, buddy. Sorry about that.”

            “I figured he could use some friends,” Pidge explained. “Dad says he might be thinking about getting into the game.”

            “‘The Game?’” Shiro asked.

            “Hunting weres,” Hunk told him with a wide smile. “Like our families all do. And hey, with that pedigree, I’m sure you’d be great at it.”

            “Screw the pedigree, check out the arms,” Lance said.

            “Just ‘cause he looks strong doesn’t mean anything,” Keith said. He walked a short ways away and took up a stance. “Let’s test him.”

            “I dunno if that’s a good idea, Keith,” Pidge warned him.

            “This is a GREAT idea,” Lance declared immediately. “I want to see Keith get his ass handed to him finally!”

            “Ah, jeeze, Lance, are you _still_ on that rivalry kick?” Hunk groaned.

            Shiro tuned them out. He’d been challenged. He took up his own stance and heard a quiet “uh oh” from Pidge behind him. Keith was maybe half a head shorter? Leaner. Shiro figured he’d be quick. But he couldn’t be faster than Allura.

            Keith attacked first, and Shiro just stepped out of the way of it. He dodged punch and kick over and over, taking his time to read the human male. The more Keith missed, the angrier he seemed to get. Finally, Shiro held his ground and caught Keith’s fist. Keith blinked and Shiro let go.

            Keith attacked again and Shiro dropped, swept his leg, and knocked him to the ground, then stood back up.

            Lance whispered something in a language Shiro didn’t know, his eyes wide.

            “He’s fast,” Hunk said.

            “And strong,” Lance replied.

            Shiro looked at them in confusion. “I’m not, really. I was the weakest and slowest in my …group.”

            They stared at him. “Hell, sign me up for the next time your family’s in town!” Lance hooted.

            Pidge’s eyes widened and Shiro shifted his attention behind him. He spun, grabbed hold of Keith’s arm and used his momentum to throw him to the ground again.

            Keith just laid there, blinking up at the sky. “Sorry, I didn’t throw you too hard, did I?” Shiro asked as he offered a hand up. It was accepted, and he pulled the male to his feet.

            “Nah, but… how did you do all of that?”

            Shiro shrugged. “I don’t understand why you’re all so surprised.”

            “I have _never_ seen _anyone_ move that fast,” Hunk told him. “I don’t think any of us have.”

            It was a little hard to believe, but their stares seemed genuine, and so much so that he began to worry that he might’ve given something away. “Well, I… it’s just how I was raised, I guess.”

            “Dad needs to see this!” Pidge declared.

            “Wait, wait, don’t run off. I… want to talk. Please?”

            “Hell, after that, I’ll talk to you about the moon if you want,” Lance said. “I hear it’s made of cheese.”

            “What kind? Given the color, it’s probably a soft cheese…” Hunk began musing.

            “Nevermind that,” Keith cut in. “Let’s go find somewhere to sit down.”

            “Awww, did’ums get a boo-boo?” Lance cooed at him.

            “I’ll give you a boo-boo!” Keith snarled at him.

            “Just shut up and give him a kiss already!” Pidge grinned. They both went red and looked at her. “You two need to be locked in a closet or something, I swear.”

            “No, no, no,” Hunk protested. “They will hack the closet, and probably the surrounding house, to bits getting out. Bad plan. Baaaaaaad plan.”

            “We do not need to be locked in a closet!” Lance said.

            “Uh, is there somewhere we can sit and talk?” Shiro reminded them.

            “Yeah, there’s a grassy spot over here.” Hunk pointed the way. “Let’s go.”

            “So have you Hunted at all?” Lance wanted to know.

            “Not that kind of hunting, no.”

            “Impressive skills for someone not a Hunter,” Keith commented.

            “When you depend on wild game to eat, you learn quickly.”

            “What did you want to talk with _us_ about?” Pidge asked pointedly. “I don’t know how we can help someone like you.”

            “You’d be surprised,” he told her. “I wanted to know what it’s like to grow up in a Hunter family. Just to… understand.”

            “Ohhh, yeah, I can see that.” Hunk practically fell into a seat in a shady spot beneath a tree. Lance dropped down next to him, Keith next to Lance, and Pidge on Hunk’s other side. Shiro sat between Keith and Pidge to form up the circle.

            Lance immediately started in on the topic. “My family’s awesome!” He talked at length – great length – about his mother and father and grandparents on both sides and all his brothers and sisters. It was hard to get a word in edgewise.

            Keith had to interrupt him with the reminder, “He wants to know about the _Hunting_ aspect of it, you idiot.”

            “You’re the idiot!”

            “KissKissKissKiss,” Hunk and Pidge both started chanting. That made both of them turn red and look away from each other. Pidge snickered while Hunk took up the thread.

            “My family always told me it was a great honor to be a Hunter. That we’re protecting humanity from the monsters who would kill us in our sleep.”

            “Like they did with your family,” Pidge commented.

            Shiro swallowed hard and nodded mutely.

            “It’s a religious duty for us,” Lance said. “Half-beast, half-men things are abominations. They cause more misery just by the unnaturalness of their existence. It isn’t wrong to kill something that shouldn’t exist.”

            “If they shouldn’t exist, then why do they?” Shiro asked.

            Lance shrugged. “Who knows? Probably evil magic or something. Whatever the cause, they need to be killed.”

            Shiro was still confused. “So, killing people is okay?”

            They stopped and stared at him. “Okay, I could get it if maybe you were Lexian like the Holts,” Hunk said, “but Lance and his family are Motivists. Have you never heard of them?”

            “Hey, the Shiroganes weren’t Motivist or Lexian,” Pidge reminded them. “Maybe the people who rescued Shiro weren’t either.” She shrugged.

            “Yeah, okay, but you haven’t even _heard_ of Motivism?” Keith asked.

            Shiro shrugged. “Sorry, guess not.”

            “We believe that so long as our motivations are good – like destroying nasty abominations that would destroy us if they had half a chance – then our actions are good no matter what they are,” Lance replied, trying to get back on track. “So, our family destroys werethings because it’s the right thing to do.”

            “My family does it ‘cause we’re good at it, and it pays well,” Keith said.

            “Mercenary.”

            “Zealot.”

            “Don’t start in on that,” Hunk clucked at them like a mother hen. “We’re all doing good here.”

            Shiro cleared his throat. “Uh… how much do you guys actually know about… weres?” He still wasn’t used to the term.

            “Well, I haven’t come up against any yet, but when I do…” Lance mimicked drawing a bow and arrow. “RIGHT IN THE EYE!”

            “Yeah, but what do you _know_?” Shiro pursued.

            “Well, they’re vulnerable to silver,” Keith said, “but if you do enough damage they’ll stay down.”

            “When they’re in their animal forms, they’re bigger than normal animals,” Lance supplied.

            “They heal super quick,” Hunk added.

            “They’re bloodthirsty beasts, especially on full moons,” Pidge commented matter-of-factly.

            Shiro sighed and dipped his head.

            “Shiro?” Lance asked. “What is it?”

            “Never mind.”

            “You sure?”

            “Hey, his family, remember?” Hunk hissed at him.

            “Oh, right. Sorry.”

            “It’s okay.” That wasn’t really his concern, but he let them think it for now. He tried to shove that aside. “So… um…” It wasn’t easy.

            “Can you show me some of those moves?” Lance asked. “I’d love to be able to throw Keith like that.”

            “Teach him how to pin Keith to the ground,” Pidge suggested. “And then they can start smoooochiiinnng.”

            Hunk snickered. Shiro was glad to take the subject change though. “Are you two…?” He was going to say ‘mates,’ but then it occurred to him that might not be the proper term.

            “We’re Not!” they declared together.

            “Keith’s family and Lance’s family are old rivals from waaaaaaaaay back,” Hunk told him. “These two are just taking it to new heights. Or depths. Not really sure.”

            “And they’re in luuuuuuuuvvvvvv,” Pidge insisted.

            “That’s it!” Keith tackled Pidge, who shrieked (and laughed). Hunk pulled Keith off of her, but that opened the way for Lance to get his own tickle-attack in.

            Shiro couldn’t help laughing at it (once he realized it wasn’t an earnest assault). “Surrender to my might!” Lance demanded.

            “Never!” she responded, getting in a good shot at his ribs.

            “Can’t we all get along?” Hunk whined, still trying to restrain Keith, who was flailing to get free.

            “Shiro, help!” Pidge yelped. So Shiro stood up and pulled Lance off, holding him around the middle.

            “No fair!” Lance’s gangly nature made holding onto him as he thrashed difficult, but Shiro widened his stance for some more stability. “She deserves it!”

            “Lance, what would your grandma say about you attacking a girl?!” Hunk yelled.

            “She’d say ‘kick her skinny little a-’”

            “Settle down!” Shiro told him. “You know, the more you attack her, the guiltier you both seem.” And that _did_ have both Keith and Lance easing down, blushes starting up again. “If she were lying, you wouldn’t both be so angry about it.”

            “Listen to Shiro!” Pidge declared. “I’m always right.” She sat up and folded her arms in triumph.

            “That doesn’t mean she should tease you about it.”

            “HEY! Whose side are you on?!”

            He grinned. “The side of peace,” he informed her loftily.

            “BORING!” Lance declared. Shiro finally let him loose and Hunk, after a moment’s pause, released Keith. Neither of them went after Pidge again. “War’s more fun.”

            “But also more trouble than it’s worth.”

            “Says the guy who can take care of anyone who comes at him,” Keith muttered.

            Shiro exhaled. “I can teach you some, if you’d like?”

            All four of them crowded around him, looking up hopefully. He chuckled. “Okay then, partner off. No, Keith, you go up against Pidge. That’ll be better. And maybe keep you focused.” There was appreciative snickering. “All right. Now, take up your stances…”

 

 

            Dinner was less formal the next night, but Allura still had to entertain her new betrothed. She didn’t much feel like putting up with him when she first sat down, but Lotor was gracious, complimentary, and engaging. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t still feel out of sorts later, but he was a distraction from her thoughts, and a welcome one, at that.

            “But you know,” he said, about halfway through the meal, “I haven’t seen the pet I’ve heard so much about.”

            “Pet?” she asked.

            “The other prides have mentioned a human your pride took in?”

            “He’s gone,” she said shortly, “and he wasn’t a pet.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to meeting it.”

            “HIM,” she corrected.

            “Forgive me,” he replied smoothly. “But if he wasn’t a pet, then why did you have him? What purpose could he possibly have served?”

            “He was my friend.”

            “Not much of one if he left.”

            She frowned. It was exactly what she’d been thinking all this time, but to hear someone else say it made her blood boil. Especially when that someone was Lotor.

            She thought back to Romelle and Coran, and what they had helped her realize. “Excuse me,” she said abruptly, standing and walking away from her plate. She stormed off into the night, and didn’t stop until she was a good distance away from camp. She punched the nearest tree with all her frustrated might, splintering bark and splitting the wood, then pulled her fist back out, shaking the sap off of it.

            “I’ve angered you that much?” _Of course he followed me out here._ She didn’t answer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the depth of your feelings for your… friend. His loss must hurt you terribly.”

            “It does. I’ll get over it. It’s still fresh, is all.” She hugged herself, not turning around.

            “I would help if I knew how,” he offered. She felt his hands on her arms. She jerked as if she might pull away, but forced herself not to. Fortunately, he misread the action. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

            “I didn’t expect it, that’s all.”

            “A fierce warrior like you, taken by surprise? I can think of nothing other than you’re flattering my ego.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Lotor, you must know I don’t love you. My agreeing to this match has nothing to do with feelings.”

            “I know that.”

            “Does it bother you?”

            “That you don’t love me? You hardly know me. You chose based on politics and the chance of good breeding. I know that. I am grateful for it all the same.”

            “You don’t love me.”

            “No,” he agreed. “But I can learn to, I think. I hope you can as well.” He leaned in, breath warm against her ear. “I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”

            She did pull away now. “Thank you. Right now I just want to be—” _Away from you_. “—alone.”

            His hands disappeared from her arms. “As you wish. I will see to it you are not disturbed.” And now that she was listening for him, she heard him leaving, his scent withdrawing. Lotor smelled like ash – probably from sitting near the fire – and cool, damp earth, like leaves and grass. He smelled dark and lush. Not bad, but nothing like Shiro. Not that she’d expected him to smell like someone else, but… _oh, I don’t know **what** I was thinking, honestly._

            She exhaled once she was alone, once she had peace again. She felt like she was betraying him by agreeing to the match with Lotor. _But you left first. You chose to break your promise_. She was justifying it to herself, and she knew that. But what else could she do now?

 

 

            After dinner, Pidge wanted to show off the new moves she’d learned from Shiro. To no one’s surprise, she wiped the floor with her brother, and Shiro had to step in and do some more teaching to help even Matt’s odds in future sibling fights. Sam eventually shooed them off to bed, and asked Shiro to accompany him outside again.

            “Those were some very impressive moves you taught the kids. Thank you for that.”

            “I was glad to do it.”

            “If you’re capable of that sort of thing, maybe you’d make it through this Hunt after all. If you’re still interested.”

            “I don’t think I am. At first, it felt like… like it was what they’d want me to do.”

            “I’m sure it is,” Sam said.

            “But it doesn’t quite feel right. I don’t know how to explain it better than that.” Shiro sighed and looked up at the stars overhead. “I know I don’t want anything to happen to you or the other Hunters. But it seems wrong to just go and kill a bunch of people trying to live their lives.”

            “Son, they live their lives by destroying ours.”

            “Really?” he asked pointedly. “When was the last time these werelions hurt anyone?”

            “You mean aside from your parents?”

            Shiro’d been waiting for that to be brought up. “YES. Aside from that, which was, what? Twenty years ago?”

            “Give or take.”

            “How many Hunters have been killed by werelions since then?”

            “Well, it’s happened in some other parts,” Sam said. “And they move around a lot, so…”

            “Maybe it’s not the same werelions.”

            “Look, Shiro, I know this is all kind of new to you, but believe me when I say that they’re vicious. They’re dangerous. They’re a threat.”

            “Maybe if we left them alone, they wouldn’t be. You’re dangerous. You’re a threat when you have to be, right? If your kids were in danger, you’d be very dangerous.”

            “Of course I would be, but…”

            “Then you’re a threat. But not right now. Right now, you’re nice and you’ve been such a help to me, and…”

            He stopped when Sam pulled out a knife. He took a step away, but Sam offered it to him, blade first. “Touch it.”

            “What?”

            “Touch the blade and leave your fingers there until I say so,” he demanded.

            Shiro looked from the blade up to Sam’s eyes. “You think I’m a were.”

            “Touch it.”

            So Shiro kept his eyes on him as he touched the surely silver-coated blade. It was cool in the night air. When no reaction happened, Sam nodded. “Okay. Sorry about that. They can turn normal people, y’know.”

            “I know,” he said, pulling his hand away as Sam resheathed the knife. “They can, but they don’t. Almost never, actually.”

            “How do you know that?”

            _Oops._ “Well… how many do you know of who’ve actually been turned?”

            “Once they’re turned, they’re not human anymore. They go away and don’t come back,” Sam pointed out. “As far as we know, they’re increasing their numbers every chance they get.”

            “Okay, well, if that’s true, then are you sure you’ve got enough Hunters here to take them on? You said it was a meeting, right? Who knows how many of them there are?”

            “We’ve got to try. For our families. For _everyone’s_ families.” He clapped a friendly hand to Shiro’s shoulder. “For yours, most of all. So what happened to your parents doesn’t happen to anyone else’s.”

            “That’s… noble of you,” Shiro allowed. “But how do you think Matt and Pidge will feel if you never come back?”

            “We’ll hope that doesn’t happen, but if it does? Well, that’ll give them an edge as they take up the fight.”

            “They’re too young yet. What if they do something rash out of rage and a desire for revenge?”

            “Colleen’ll keep ‘em in line. She may not be a Hunter herself, but I didn’t marry a mouse. And the other Hunters will help them out, too.”

            “If they survive.”

            “Some of us will.”

            “And how many werelions do you expect to be able to take out? How many of their lives are worth you giving yours?” Shiro pressed. “How many of their deaths will it take to buy peace of mind for your children when they don’t have you?”

            “Shiro, I know you’re worried about me, and I appreciate that, but this is my job. This is what I do, and even if I don’t look the part of the rugged were-hunter, I’ve taken down more than my share in the past.”

            “Sam, I grew up without parents, without a family. I don’t want them to have to go through that.”

            “You don’t know I’m going to die.”

            “You don’t know that you’re going to live.” He sighed. “How long until you go off to do this foolhardy thing?”

            “A few days yet. More Hunters are still coming in. We’re not as brash as you seem to think we are. We’re building our forces still.”

            He shook his head. “I just worry it won’t be enough.”

            Sam patted his shoulder again. “You’re new to this world. Trust me here. Everything happens for a reason, and whatever happens will be for the best in the long run.”

            “The long run,” he repeated hollowly. “I’m not sure that’ll be much comfort for Matt and Pidge. And Colleen.”

            “Go on and get some sleep,” he advised. “Maybe you’ll feel more optimistic in the morning.”

            “I doubt it, but perhaps sleep is a good idea.” He wasn’t sure if he _could_ sleep, but being tired wasn’t going to help anything either.

            Sam headed for the door, holding it so Shiro could go in first. Neither of them noticed the creeping shadow hiding in the stables. It flitted away as they re-entered the warmth and light of the inn’s common room.

 

 

            “What’s this I hear about you signing up for guard duty?” Lotor asked her.

            Allura looked up from her skinning. The hunters had come back with a particularly large amount of game, and she was helping out. “I signed up for guard duty,” she said simply, and resumed her task.

            He sat near her, but far enough away to keep his clothes free from blood, she noticed. “You’re a dominant now. You don’t need to be undertaking such menial tasks. It’s beneath you, like an eagle hunting for ants.”

            She snorted. “Should I not do everything in my power to protect the prides?”

            “They are here to celebrate your dominance. You should be enjoying yourself,” he maintained.

            “I am.” She stopped her work to look over at him. “And yes, guard duty is boring and typically not a job dominants do. But we have reason to suspect the Hunters are planning something.”

            “What reason?” he asked carefully.

            She thought back to the meeting they’d had earlier that day, to the mentions made of humans spotted in the forest, setting traps. They might be hunting game. They might not be. “We have reason,” she repeated.

            “I’m not allowed to know?”

            “Exactly,” she said with a smile. She enjoyed thwarting his expectations. She wasn’t sure if that was the basis for a healthy relationship or not. She did know she didn’t really care right now. “Dominant or not, taking an occasional guard shift shows that I am proud to help provide security for my pride and our guests. I want everyone to know that I value their safety over my own vanity.”

            He smiled and she returned to skinning. “You are as considerate as you are beautiful.”

            “Thank you.” She didn’t even blush this time. She was getting used to his constant compliments.

            “I’m sure with you out there, we shall have nothing to fear.”

            She snorted again. “I’m in a rotation. I won’t be on guard duty constantly.”

            “So, there is hope of a dance later, then?”

            “Perhaps. If you don’t eat too much at dinner.”

            “You will wash your hands first, won’t you?”

            She laughed. “If you’re going to continue to be fussy, I might not,” she warned him.

            “I have no qualms about getting my hands dirty when need be.” He stood. “I don’t see that I need to have them dirty just now.”

            “Yes, yes, very fastidious of you.”

            “I would hate to sully your loveliness when I hold you in my arms.”

            She clicked her tongue. “Well, we can’t have that,” she said flatly.

            “Indeed.” And he bowed and left.

            She paused to consider her betrothed. He was fun to banter with, when she was in the mood. He was very attractive, a good fighter, fun to spar with. He was part of a large pride and this merger would improve everyone’s chances of surviving whatever the Hunters might be planning. She ought to be happier than this.

            _It’s just ‘cause it’s all happening so fast_ , she told herself. _I’m just not used to it yet. This is a good match. It’s good._ She made herself get back to work. She had to be useful.

 

 

            “And just where do you think _you’re_ going?”

            Shiro took a step back when there was suddenly an obstacle in his path. “Pidge!”

            “Keep your voice down,” she hissed at him. She looked him up and down, and he knew he’d been figured out. The pack on his back gave it away, even if his tiptoeing out of his room before dawn hadn’t. “And tell me what’s going on.”

            “I’m leaving. I can’t be a drain on your father’s hospitality any longer, and I didn’t want him to feel obligated to get me breakfast yet again.” This was all technically true.

            But she narrowed her eyes at him. “And that conversation you had with him last night has nothing to do with it?”

            “Huh?”

            “I heard you two talking about this battle coming up.” She frowned. “Dad downplays it, says it’ll be fine. But you’re doing the opposite. You tried to convince him that he shouldn’t go, that he’ll die if he does. You have inside information you’re not sharing.”

            “I’m just worried about him, that’s all.”

            “Liar.” She sounded so confident about the accusation that he wondered for a moment if humans had more sensitive noses than he’d been led to believe. “You were talking about how weres don’t actually turn all that many humans, and you sounded like you knew what you were talking about. Dad let you drop it ‘cause you passed the silver test, but I want to know what’s going on.”

            “There’s nothing going on.”

            “Liar,” she said again, insistent. “If there’s something that’s going to threaten my dad’s life – more than usual, anyway – then I want to know about it. And you know more than you’re telling.” She ticked her evidence off on her fingers. “You claim weres don’t actually turn humans all the time. You passed the silver test. You spent all that time talking about how weres are just people wanting to live their lives. You tried to convince Dad not to go do this thing. And you’re faster and stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen before, with weird clothes, no money, and no knowledge of how humans live.” She folded her arms. “You’re still human, but the weres raised you, didn’t they?”

            He sighed and smiled sadly at her. “You’re very smart.” He looked around quickly to make sure they were alone. “And also correct. I was raised by werelions, likely the very same who killed my parents, but I didn’t know about that until your father told me.”

            “Were you supposed to infiltrate the Hunter ranks and learn all our secrets?” she charged. “And now you’re going back to tell them about the attack?”

            “I am going back to tell them about the attack,” he confirmed, “and to try to convince them to scatter and move on before it happens. I don’t want anyone to be hurt, on _either_ side. They raised me. They were my family all these years. I know they killed the family I was born to, but I think they took me in to try to make it up to me somehow.” He looked her in the eye. “I can’t belong with them because they won’t turn me. But I don’t belong here, either. I’m an outcast no matter where I go. And if I have to stand between the Hunters and lion-souls – or werelions – and die in the process of trying to keep them from fighting, so be it. At least I’ll die trying to secure peace, instead of running away.”

            “Why wouldn’t they turn you?”

            He shook his head and shrugged. “They only ever told me it was forbidden.”

            “And in all the time you were with them, you never went after any Hunters?”

            “We never even saw any. The lion-souled avoid the Hunters, or try to. They’ll fight back when they have to, but… I’m afraid they might be tired of defensive moves and hiding.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “There’s an Assembly going on right now,” he told her. “The ‘meeting’ your father and his allies are so eager to attack. It’s _six prides_ , Pidge. There’s a _huge_ number of lion-souls there, and two of those prides were discussing merging together to make one large pride. They generally like to keep prides small, to be more mobile, more easily hidden. If they’re going to merge two prides together, then they’re making an army. An army of people who are all a lot faster and a lot stronger than I am, and can heal a lot quicker as well.”

            Pidge’s eyes widened. “Is that why you left?”

            “Yes and no,” he hedged. “I didn’t have the thought to come warn anyone; these are just my guesses. But I’d heard about the merger, and I knew I didn’t have a place there anymore. I never really did have a place with them, to be truthful, but they were all I’d ever known.

            “You and your family have been friends to me. I don’t want to see anything happen to you, or to the others’ families. Keith and Lance and Hunk. No one should have to grow up without a family that loves them.”

            Pidge sighed heavily. “Okay. Okay, okay.” She cussed under her breath and glanced towards her father’s room. “Okay, I can’t let Dad get killed. Family first.” She looked up at him. “I’m going with you.”

            “What?!”

            “Shhhh!” she reminded him. “I’m going with you to talk to these werelions. If they’re decent people like you say they are, they’ll listen, right?”

            “They _are_ decent people, but they also feel threatened by the Hunters. Showing up with a Hunter’s child isn’t exactly going to…”

            “Well, they took _you_ in!” she pointed out. “At least, the one pride did. I’m not going to leave my father’s fate in a stranger’s hands. I have to at least try. And you wouldn’t let them just up and kill me, right?”

            “Of course not! But these other prides…”

            “I have some skills,” she reminded him. “Even aside from what you’ve taught me.”

            “Six. Prides. Pidge. SIX.”

            “I know, I know.” She was quiet a moment. “What are they gonna do to you when you go back?”

            “Probably laugh at me,” he admitted. He’d been thinking about it a lot. “I know one dominant will listen to me, if she lets me live. Maybe her father as well. The two of them might be able to sway the other two dominants of the pride that raised me. But that still leaves the other five prides.”

            “ _IF_ she lets you live?” Pidge repeated. She was good at latching onto the exact phrases he’d rather she ignored.

            “She’ll be angry with me for leaving. I don’t think she’ll kill me, but… well, it turns out neither of us knew the other as well as we thought we did.”

            Pidge studied him. “I have a better chance of stopping this by going with you than doing anything else. I’m going.”

            “It’s not safe,” he told her.

            “I don’t care. My father risks his life for us; it’s time I returned the favor.” She started to head back to her room, then paused. “You know, there’s nothing saying we have to do this alone.”

            Shiro’s brow furrowed and then the realization hit him. “You aren’t seriously suggesting we drag the guys into this, are you?”

            “Why not? It’s their families on the line, too! Hell, most of Lance’s family is going to be in this thing! They deserve a chance to try to protect their loved ones!”

            “We can’t bring everyone who has a stake in this. It’ll look like an army marching on them; they’ll attack _us_.”

            “We won’t bring everyone; just you, me, Hunk, Lance, and Keith. Five wimpy little humans shouldn’t scare them _that_ much, right?”

            He considered that. “Not against six entire prides,” he allowed.

            She grinned that crooked grin. “Good. Let’s go!”

 

            It took a lot of pebble-tossing at the right windows (and occasionally the wrong ones) to get the guys up and out, and then Pidge had insisted on doing the explanation, talking over Shiro every time he so much as opened his mouth. He eventually gave up and deferred to her.

            “So, that’s the situation,” Pidge summed up for them.

            Keith and Lance were just gaping open-mouthed at him, and Shiro rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “So, you’re like… half-were?” Hunk asked.

            He shook his head, dropping his hand back down. “No, no, I’m human. Just raised alongside them.”

            “No wonder you’re fast like a fox!” Lance declared. “Or, well, lion, I guess.”

            “This could be a trap,” Keith said.

            “It’s dangerous no matter what it is,” Hunk protested. “We should tell our folks.”

            “They won’t listen,” Pidge insisted. “Shiro tried to warn Dad, and Dad just wrote him off. All of our families think this is their big chance to wipe the weres out – or the werelions, at least – and they’re not going to be talked down that easily.”

            “It’s up to us,” Lance agreed.

            “Think about this, though: if we walk in there, we become bait. We become hostages that can be used against our families,” Keith told them all.

            “You’re not wrong,” Shiro said. They all turned to look at him; Pidge was glaring at him for undercutting her. “But if they used you as hostages, their goal would be to get the Hunters to leave. They would release you later, unharmed.”

            “How do we know that?” Keith persisted.

            “Because they didn’t kill me,” Shiro said. “They could have killed me, or left me there alone to die. They didn’t. Because life is sacred to them. All life. Lion-souls only kill when they have to. That’s how they raise _all_ their cubs, not just what they told me. I’ve seen it over and over again. I’ve heard them say it; _I’ve_ said it. That’s what they believe. They would never harm you if they didn’t have to.”

            Pidge had given up glaring once she realized what he was doing, and she whirled back on Keith. “So the worst that happens is we have a long walk home and we _still_ manage to protect our families from marching into almost certain death.”

            Keith sighed. “I don’t like it.”

            “Yeah, I don’t either,” Hunk agreed, “but if this is what it takes to save my mom and dad, I’m doing it.”

            “I’m in,” Lance said. He grinned at Keith. “Even if the chicken boy here isn’t.”

            “I’m not afraid! I’m just thinking like a Hunter!”

            Lance clucked at him and Keith shoved him.

            “How far out are they?” Pidge asked Shiro while they fought.

            “It took me three days’ walking to get here,” he told her.

            “We can do better than that,” Hunk suggested. “I can get us three horses. If we push it, we can be there in a day.”

            “We don’t have to go that fast,” Pidge reminded him. “They’re still waiting on more Hunters to come in.”

            “We shouldn’t waste time we don’t have to,” Shiro said. “Hunk, if you can get those horses, that would be great. We won’t be able to take them all the way into camp though.”

            “Huh? Why not?” he asked.

            “Were _lions_ ,” Pidge reminded him. “They’ll spook the horses.”

            Shiro nodded. “We’ll leave them tied up at the fringes. I’ll do what I can to make sure nothing happens to them.”

            “…okay,” Hunk agreed uneasily. “I’ll go get ‘em.”

            All three of them looked at Lance and Keith, bickering quietly (out of respect for the not-yet-awake populace in the houses and inns surrounding them). Pidge sighed and looked pleadingly up at Hunk. “Fine, fine,” he said, “but you owe me for this.” He started to walk off and, as he went past the two of them, he shoved Lance toward Keith.

            Lance stumbled forward into Keith’s arms, their faces hitting each other’s vaguely-somewhat-kind-of-close to their lips. Pidge snorted and stifled her giggles with her hand. Shiro chuckled once and ended up having to mimic Pidge as Lance practically jumped ten feet backwards. He and Keith were both red-faced.

            “That was uncalled for,” Shiro managed to get out.

            “They stopped fighting,” Pidge squeaked.

            “I will kill you, you little goblin,” Lance threatened her.

            “Keith, are you coming with us?” Shiro asked, trying to smooth his expression out by getting back on task. “Hunk’s getting us horses.”

            He glared at Lance, scowled at Pidge, and then exhaled harshly. “Fine. I’ll come.”

            She grinned in triumph at him. “More time with your boyyyfrieennnd,” she sing-songed.

            “HE IS NOT,” Lance and Keith said in unison.

            “Shhh! Keep it down!” Shiro warned, glancing around at the dark buildings around them. “People will be waking up soon. We need to get out of here before we’re discovered.”

            “You’re sure about this?” Keith asked him.

            “I’m sure it’s the only thing I can think of to try. And I’m sure that I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and get you all back safely to your families. That’s what this is all about, after all.”

            Keith held out his hand. Shiro took firm hold, and Keith looked him in the eyes. “For our families.”

**~End of Chapter 2~**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, off they all go to protect their families and preserve peace, even as the lion-souls prepare for an attack. I'm sure it'll be fine. No one will get hurt. ~~Here all are safe and warm.~~
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> And hey, there's a wedding to plan for! Party time! Maybe Shiro and the gang will show up in time to get some cake?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and Lance are putting themselves between the Hunters and the Lion-souls in an attempt to stop the fighting for good. For Shiro, this means going back to face Allura and the others with the knowledge of what happened to his parents. Can you ever really go home again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 of my collaboration with the amazingly talented [@yliseryn](http://yliseryn.tumblr.com/): co-worldbuilder and artist extraordinaire! 
> 
> As usual, many thanks to [Echo Menhir](http://explodingcrenelation.tumblr.com/) for her editing expertise!

            _The Hunters aren’t stupid_ , she thought. Allura was preparing for her guard duty shift after a long morning bath. She was not – as her cousin had suggested – finding excuses to avoid her betrothed. The reports of humans moving about the forest had continued, and she was hoping to figure out what was going on.

            She pulled her clothes on as she thought, occasionally stopping to finger-comb wet hair back out of her face. _If these are Hunters, they’re smart enough to know there’s a lot of us here. Surely they wouldn’t be so stupid as to attack six full prides._ The thought that they might attack anyway suggested they knew the numbers they were facing and had prepared for them.

            _If greater numbers do not, in fact, keep us safe from Hunters, then is there any point in this merger?_ _In the betrothal?_ Well, the betrothal was a good match regardless; it would just mean taking Lotor away from his pride rather than joining the two. _If six prides’ worth of lion-souls aren’t enough to keep the Hunters away, then what good will two prides becoming one do?_

            There was always the possibility that the Hunters didn’t know what they’d be up against. Or that these were simply humans from the nearby town hunting game. But they wouldn’t take chances. She strapped her belt on and reached for her skinpaint. _Nothing is going to happen to a single soul so long as I’m here_ , she decided, swiping two fingers of each hand in the paint and then along her cheeks. She wiped her fingers clean with a cloth, shut the paintbox, and looked herself over in the mirror: short hair still curling damply, hunt-marks and red over-tunic declaring her dominance, her mother’s fang gleaming in the wan light. She wrapped her fingers around it.

            “Guide me, Mother.” She allowed herself that one moment of doubt, of longing for guidance. Then she let go of the keepsake and her insecurities.

            She threw her tent flap back as she strode out towards her duty.

 

 

            They’d left the horses near a river, with good grazing and plenty of water within reach. Shiro had borrowed paper and ink from Pidge and drawn the “Do Not Eat” symbol the prides used to warn each other away from bad food, then attached them to the horses’ saddles. It was the best he could do as far as security for the mounts Hunk had gotten for them.

            The guys had brought their weapons with them in addition to small packs with rations and bedrolls. Shiro hoped the precautions – all of them – were unnecessary. For now, he was answering questions and reminding them – especially Keith and Lance – to keep their voices down.

            “The females in red are the dominants. Each pride has one, maybe two, male dominants as well, but they’ll all have at least three female dominants. Do not hold the gaze of a dominant too long; it will be taken as a challenge. Do not bare your teeth when you smile; since you are strangers, it will be taken as a challenge. Do not raise your voice to a dominant; it…”

            “…Will Be Taken As A Challenge,” they all repeated together.

            “Is there anything that _won’t_ be taken as a challenge?” Pidge asked.

            “And is there any way to take back a challenge if you didn’t mean to issue one?” Hunk followed up.

            “Be respectful and polite,” Shiro told them. “Keep your answers short and to the point; if you try to be too flowery, they’ll think you’re trying to manipulate them or hide something from them. And if you’re ever afraid of a dominant attacking you, bare your neck.”

            “What?” Lance asked. “Isn’t that just inviting them to tear your throat out?”

            “Lions don’t tear the throats out of their prey,” Shiro told him. He heard a sigh of relief before he could finish explaining, “They strangle them to death in their jaws.”

            “Oh, great, that’s SO much better, thanks,” Lance deadpanned.

            “They _won’t_ take you up on it,” Shiro insisted.

            “So it _is_ an offering, though?” Keith pursued. “We’re saying, ‘OK, kill me if you want,’ if we bare our neck to them?”

            “Yes, technically. But they won’t do it. It’s… submissive. It’s deferential.” He thought of something. “But only bare your neck to a dominant. If they’re not wearing red and they attack you, defend yourself. Kill only if absolutely necessary. A single death is going to tip the balance.”

            “Yeah? Even if that death is one of us?” Hunk asked.

            “Yes. Which is why you’re safe offering your life up to a dominant. They’re wise enough to weigh the consequences of killing you, and they won’t take that risk.”

            “Even the one who’s mad at you?” Pidge inquired.

            Shiro sighed. Pidge was not only perceptive, but had a far-too-keen memory. It seemed she focused those talents on the exact topics Shiro didn’t want to discuss. “She might want to kill me. She wouldn’t dare kill you guys.”

            “What’d you do that ticked her off so much?” Lance asked.

            “I left.”

            “And…?” Keith wanted to know.

            Shiro didn’t give more information. _I know I should’ve explained things before I left, if nothing else. I was too busy licking my own wounds, and I probably wounded her in the process. That’s not how I wanted things._

            “So, what exactly should we say?” Pidge piped up. “‘We come in peace’?”

            _Thank you for changing the subject at least._ “Let me do the talki-” He was knocked to the ground by a blur of white and he heard the guys cry out in surprise. “No, don’t!” he said immediately. He couldn’t see them, but he wanted to be sure they weren’t about to attack.

            Because, of course, of all the lion-souls to find them, it had to be _her_.

            Allura, in her lion form, growled atop him, baring her fangs. Her eyes, hard and unforgiving, were locked on his. To anyone else, she looked like a giant predator who’d found her next meal.

            “Hi,” he said with a weak smile.

            She snarled.

            “Look, I know you’re upset…”

            She roared at him, massive paws on his shoulders. She was still glaring at him, and her breath was hot against his face.

            He sighed. “Can we talk about this like reasonable people?”

            He heard one of his new friends – Keith he thought – mutter something about “people.”

            Allura’s response was a low growl of warning. She was treating him as a stranger, he thought, only angrier. He supposed that was to be expected.

            Shiro sighed. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” His body was pinned to the ground, but there was one thing he could still do – the only thing. He rolled his head to the side and bared his neck to her as best he could.

            She cocked her massive head at the gesture, but didn’t otherwise move. Some of the anger in her eyes had been replaced with curiosity.

            “Go ahead. If you really feel you want to kill me, I won't stop you.” He snorted. “Not like I could anyway.”

            She roared again and lunged as if she might take him up on the offer. He heard the guys cry out, but he didn’t flinch or try to struggle away. Her fangs snapped short of his throat, and she huffed another hot breath against his skin before lifting her head away. Her eyes were cold now, an acknowledgement of her power; she could have killed him, and hadn’t.

            “Well, if you’re not going to kill me, could you let me up?”

            She growled.

            “Okay, well, what can I do for you like this, ‘Lura?”

            She snarled and narrowed her eyes at him. Her formerly icy demeanor was melted by her anger at his casual use of her nickname.

            “Allura,” he corrected. “Sorry.” He wasn’t particularly sorry, but he couldn’t really blame her for being pissed at him. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

            “Do you think he really understands what the lion’s saying?” Hunk whispered to the others.

            “Yeah, actually, he probably does,” Pidge replied.

            The talking drew Allura’s attention, her head snapping up to them. She snarled lightly.

            “They’re friends, Allura,” he said quickly. “I swear. You know I wouldn’t endanger the pride.”

            Her eyes fell to him again and she snarled louder.

            He frowned. “If you really believe that, then…” He sighed as he realized he’d been about to say _then you never knew me at all_ , but then that had been the problem, hadn’t it?

            But she seemed to understand where he was going. She snorted – it was almost a sneeze – in annoyance and backed off just enough to let him stand, glaring at him and twitching her tail.

“Thanks.” He stood and stretched and winced and rubbed his backside. “I'm surprised you didn't break anything, Allura.”

            She growled at him again. A lot of the heat was gone, but she was still wary.

            _So far, so good._ He held his hands up. “I AM taking this seriously, I promise. Yeesh, princess, calm down.” He winced again and rubbed one of his shoulders. “My whole body feels like one giant bruise.”

            She eased down a little, sitting primly and licking one of her paws delicately. Shiro knew it was an act. She kept at least one eye on him as she pretended to be unconcerned about their presence.

            “I know, I know, you feel I deserved it.”

            She stopped licking entirely to fix him with a glare.

            “Okay, I _did_ deserve it. Happy?”

            She resumed licking her paw.

            “What are you even _doing_ out here?” A thought occurred to him and before he could bite it back, it burst past his lips. “Hiding from Daddy’s choice of mate for you? Is he not up to the princess’s standards?” He winced almost as soon as he said it.

            She roared and lunged at him. He barely got out of the way in time to avoid getting slammed to the ground again. She growled, eyes flashing dangerously. He backed away, arms out to make sure she didn’t try to get past him to the others. She stalked his movements.

            “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that; you’re right. And I’m sorry for how I reacted before I left. But I need you to listen to me. To _all of us_. Please.”

            She growled again.

            “I don’t think she’s in a listening mood,” Lance murmured from behind Shiro’s right shoulder.

            Shiro kept his gaze on his former best friend. “Shift back and _talk_ with me, Allura.”

            She snarled and lunged for him again. He stood his ground this time, and she stopped just short of him again. She backed off, but maintained her aggressive posture.

            Shiro bristled. “Look, yes, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I _am_ sorry. I’m lashing out in anger and disappointment; surely you, of all people, know what that’s like.”

            She looked like she was about to pounce again. From this distance, she’d knock him down even if she didn’t want to. She looked mad enough to kill.

            Pidge was trying to get his attention. “Uh, Shiro…?”

            “Maybe we should just go?” Hunk finished for her.

            Shiro ignored them. He drew himself up to his full height, not to emphasize how tall he was – she was on four legs after all, not two, though in her human form she was still shorter than he was – but to draw in some measure of power. He had hunched and looked away for all of his life, deferring to the lion-souled around him, acknowledging their superiority so as to protect himself. _No more_. He cast aside his subordination and locked his eyes on Allura’s.

            “I know what happened to my parents, Allura.”

            Her eyes widened, pupils dilating. No punch he could’ve thrown would’ve been half as effective at stunning her, he thought. Her posture eased, and without the anger behind it, it looked more like a defensive crouch than an imminent attack.

            For the first time in their lives, it was Allura who looked away from Shiro, unable to maintain his gaze.

            He pressed his advantage. “I am grateful to have been raised and cared for all these years. Your mother could have killed me. Nearly did, I’m guessing.” He rubbed the scar over his nose. “But nothing changes the fact that this pride took from me the only family I ever had, a family I will never know. And, all these years, you hid it from me. I knew _nothing_ about them. You didn’t tell me, even when you knew I wanted to know. All the questions I had about my family, you could’ve answered. And you didn’t.”

            She glanced at him sidelong, not wanting to turn her head back to him.

            “You owe me, Allura. This pride owes me. And all I’m asking to settle that debt is that you listen to me and the people I’ve brought with me. Don’t just let us talk and then send us away; really _listen_. Do that, and we’ll be even.”

            She dropped her gaze, considering, then turned her head back to him. She raised her head, looking at him steadily as she began to shift back. White fur became red cloth, her mother’s fang materialized, and the red hunt-marks bled back onto her cheeks. Even before she’d finished shifting, she was striding towards him, and when she was done, she was standing a short step away from him, eyes looking up into his.

            “Very well. For the debt we owe you,” she agreed tersely. “Follow me.”

 

            Allura was unwilling to speak at first. Better to maintain stoic silence as she led them through the forest. But then she realized she was bringing strangers into the Assembly. She should know something about them.

            “Who are these people you bring with you?” she asked, words clipped. She was still angry at him, and now he had added shame and guilt. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to ask him if he was really in love with her. She wanted to shake him and scream at him for breaking his promise. She wanted to throw him out and hug him close at the same time. She didn’t like not knowing what to do, how to feel. She craved certainty. Some things changed, but the earth was always stable under her feet. Lately, it felt like she lived in the center of an earthquake.

            “Friends,” he said.

            “You made friends quickly.”

            “They befriended me.”

            “Did it suddenly get chilly or is it just me?” one of the humans asked.

            Allura cast a glare over her shoulder. It was the largest of Shiro’s new “friends” who had spoken. She could practically smell their discomfort, even without knowing what these humans’ normal scents were. They reeked of fear and tension. She stopped walking and turned to them.

            “I need to know how to introduce you to the other dominants.”

            All four of them looked to Shiro, and Allura bristled instinctively. _They disregard **me** and look to him? As if **he’s** the dominant here?!_ But then she realized that, to these humans, he probably was. She doubted they’d be here without him. He was their leader. That calmed her down, but replaced her anger with another stab of sadness. _He’s… found his own pride, in a way._

            Shiro nodded at them, but there was still a moment of hesitation before the small female darted forward, hand out and a crooked grin on her face. “You can call me Pidge. I’m the daughter of Sam Holt.” The girl’s scent was still fear-soaked, but her outstretched hand was steady.

           Allura eyed the hand curiously. It was held sideways and there was nothing in it, of course.

           Shiro cleared his throat. “Lion-souls don’t have ‘handshakes,’” he told the girl.

           “Oh.” She lowered the hand. “Well then how should I say hello? Bow?”

           Allura was about to say that wasn’t necessary, but Shiro shrugged and Pidge bent at the waist. “Pleased to meet you, Dominant.”

           That caused Allura to double-blink, and she looked to Shiro. “You’ve prepared them at least a little, I see.”

           “I was hoping to prepare them further, but then someone knocked me to the ground.”

           She returned her attention to Pidge. “Thank you, Pidge.” The girl straightened up.

           The three boys came up to introduce themselves one by one. Hunk’s fear was potent, and his smile practically screamed “please don’t eat me.” He bowed and backed away quickly.

The one who called himself Lance tried to take her hand, but she pulled it out of his grip and frowned at him. “Sorry, force of habit,” he apologized. “Mama always taught me to kiss a lady’s hand.”

            Allura glanced to Shiro, but he shook his head. Pidge stepped in to explain. “It’s meant as a sign of respect to nobility and royalty,” she said. “Well, female members of nobility and royalty. Old-fashioned, but most ladies would be quite charmed by it.”

            “That’s me,” Lance declared, straightening up. “Charming, suave…”

            “Old-fashioned,” one of the other boys chimed in.

            Lance whirled on him. “Some of us still honor tradition, mercenary.”

            “Don’t start in on that again!” Hunk protested.

            The last boy – the so-called “mercenary” – came forward, bowed quickly, said, “Keith,” and then looked away again.

            Allura cocked her head, but nodded.

            Shiro cleared his throat. “The one thing they’re all failing to mention is that their parents are Hunters.”

            Allura gasped and whirled on him. “You brought _Hunters_ here and you honestly expect me to bring them before the Assembly?!”

            “They’re not Hunters,” Shiro reminded her.

            “Yet,” Pidge mumbled.

            Shiro shot her a look for that, but returned his attention to Allura quickly. “We know what the Hunters are planning. Surely it hasn’t escaped the guards’ notice that there are humans moving about the forest in unusual numbers?”

            She folded her arms. “Of course it hasn’t. And we’ve been in discussion about that issue.”

            “Well then, we have information the dominants will want to hear.”

            She considered Shiro carefully. If it was anyone else, he’d’ve been torn to pieces long before now, and these Hunter cubs along with him. _Oathbreaker_ , her pain hissed. _You abandoned me - us. You found out about your heritage and then you bring Hunters back with you and I am supposed to trust you?_

            The wind picked up and carried more of his scent (and the others’) to her nose. They still stank of fear. Shiro did not. He was the same as he always had been.

            Her cousin’s voice drifted across her memory. _“He’s been in love with you for so long, you just think it’s his natural odor.”_

He smelled the same. Nothing had changed.

            She would’ve trusted him then.

            “Very well.” She turned and started walking again.

            Shiro caught up to her. “You still haven’t explained why you’re out here. I wasn’t aware dominants pulled guard duty.”

            “I told you we’d noticed the increased human presence in the forest,” she said archly. “We pushed the guard range farther out and we needed extra guards to fill in the gaps. I volunteered for a rotation in the duty order. And you should be grateful I did.”

           “I am,” he said. “Extremely. I don’t know what I would have done if it’d been someone from one of the other prides.”

           “Unlikely; you were coming straight for our camp.”

           She caught his smile out of the corner of her eye. “I know. I figured our… your own people would be guarding the area closest to their camp.” The correction dimmed his amusement a little.

           “They _were_ your people,” she commented tightly.

           “They were _never_ my people,” he shot back. “That’s why I left.”

           “Not because of me?” she asked him archly.

           “I don’t want to talk about that.”

           “Not in front of your new ‘friends’ or not at all?” she pursued.

           Shiro was quiet but before he could say anything, one of the humans broke in.

           “Thank you for agreeing to listen to us,” Lance said.

           “Why are you here?” she asked him curiously. “Why would you betray your own kind?”

           “We’re not betraying them,” Keith replied hotly.

           “We’re trying to _save_ them,” Pidge said. “Shiro convinced us that the Assembly would kill anyone who attacked them.”

           “Those are our parents, our aunts and uncles, our brothers and sisters,” Lance explained. “No matter what we might think about werelions–”

           “Werelions?” she asked.

           “That’s what they call lion-souls,” Shiro explained to her.

           “Yeah, it means, uh… man-lion,” Hunk said. “Y’know, when you say it that way, it _does_ sound kind of stupid.” He laughed uneasily.

           “I think I might actually prefer ‘lion-soul,’” Pidge agreed. “Do you really believe you have the soul of a lion?”

           Allura hesitated but decided that correcting their ignorance on this matter was unlikely to cause the pride any harm. “The first of us were mere humans until their souls merged with the souls of lions. How this occurred has been lost to us, but ever since then, we have been this mix of human- and lion-souled. We can shift between our soul’s forms as we wish, or summon our true forms if need be.”

            “True form?” Keith asked. “You mean abomination form?”

            Shiro winced. “Keith…”

            “I suppose you would call it that,” Allura agreed icily. “We do not. More typically we refer to it as our warrior form. The old tales tell us that it is the true form of the lion-souled, but it is good for little else besides combat, in all honesty. We tend to be born human and live in human form. We celebrate the day we are able to take lion form. We are trained to fight and hunt in both lion and human forms, as well as to fight in our warrior form. We are dangerous no matter what we may look like, and you’d do well to remember that.”

            “You skipped the best part,” Shiro chided her. He didn’t wait for her to explain. “The lion is a separate-yet-not part of a lion-souled person. You don’t just ‘take a lion’s form’: your senses – already more powerful than a human’s – sharpen to precision, your body moves and flows the way a lion’s does. Your mind remains the same, but your perception shifts. The whole world looks, smells, sounds, tastes, and feels different. You are more powerful, but, in some ways, more vulnerable as well: no armor to guard you, no weapons but your own fangs and claws. You are unleashing the lion within you, and experiencing the world through it.”

            And suddenly, Allura wanted to cry. She took a deep, steadying breath. _He describes it so well, even though he’s never known what it’s like. He’ll never know what it’s really like._ She thought of how proud her mother and father were the first time she took lion form. How Shiro had celebrated with them. How many cubs had had their first shifting party since Shiro had joined them? Once you’d shifted, you were considered “complete” in a sense, that the lion within you had accepted you and now you could be both halves of yourself. Warrior form might be the “true form” in the old tales, but no one wanted to celebrate such lethality. Ideally, no one would need that fearsome combination in their lives.

            She’d known Shiro had never had such a party. He’d tried to shift and failed, even though he knew he was human. But to hear him so truly, so beautifully describe this experience he had never, _would never_ , know – it made her heart ache for him. That was when she felt she truly understood why he’d left.

            _It wasn’t just about me. It was about everything he wanted and couldn’t have._

            She’d accepted Shiro as he was. She knew every move he’d make in a fight; she could mimic how he spoke (well, the voice was wrong, but the words, the tones and inflections, she had those all down). She knew where to find him when he wasn’t around. She knew how to cheer him up. But she’d never stopped to think about what made Shiro who he was. She never sought out his heart or his mind, because she never thought she’d needed to. Shiro was Shiro, and he would always be with her.

            _I’ve been thoughtless and blind._

            She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “You’re too quiet, Princess.”

            She growled at him. “What have I told you about that?”

            “Have I _ever_ listened to you?” he pointed out. There was a small smirk starting on his lips.

            And there it was again. She was still mad at him. She still felt guilty for what had happened to his parents. She still had questions and she still wasn’t sure what was going to happen with him, with any of them. Nothing had been solved or settled.

            But she and Shiro had already fallen back into their old patterns. It was so easy. It was comfortable and familiar, like a hug from her mother or father when she was feeling upset. With her emotions still churning and her mind still unsteady, she grinned at him. “Only when it would get you in trouble.” And when he laughed, she felt like maybe things would be okay somehow.

 

 

            “Stay calm,” Shiro said quietly to the guys as Allura led them into the camp.

            “Easy for _you_ to say,” Hunk muttered.

            _Not really_ , but he didn’t admit it out loud. Coming into what had been his pride’s camp was one thing; walking into an Assembly had always put him on edge. And now, returning after everything? It was anything but easy.

            His eyes scanned every unfamiliar male, wondering who Alfor had chosen for Allura. _Stop that. What good does it do you?_ There was no point; he’d always known that. Allura couldn’t be with him, and obviously didn’t think about him that way. But just as he’d tried for years to shift into lion form, even knowing it was hopeless, his knowledge couldn’t stop his desire. He’d tried to stop loving Allura for… forever, it seemed. Nothing worked. _But what am I going to do if I find out who this male is? Challenge him? That’ll just get me killed, and nothing else will change. Though I guess I wouldn’t be out of place anymore._

            He couldn’t afford such nonsense right now. He had to protect his friends like he’d promised. He wanted them to get back to their families. _Focus up_.

            He kept his back straight, walking tall past the glares and whispers. The second he showed weakness, it was all over. He had to prove himself worthy of being listened to.

            Romelle ran up to them. “Allura, what is going on?” Her eyes darted from her cousin to Shiro, and he nodded a brief acknowledgement of her. She looked at him like he was crazy.

            “Dominant business,” Allura said. “If you’d like to be helpful for a change, summon the other dominants, please.”

            Romelle stiffened at the insult, but she obeyed.

            Allura held back the tent flap of one of the larger tents for them. Shiro walked in as if he had every right in the world to be in the dominants’ meeting tent, trying to swallow down how strange and awkward it felt.

            There was a long table inside with a map of the area stretched out on it and held down by candlesticks. Allura followed them in and began lighting the candles. “I would be remiss not to offer you all some water.”

            “You would be,” Shiro commented with a grin, “but I notice you haven’t _technically_ offered.”

            “Oh, knock it off,” she chided him. “Do you want the water or not?”

            “No,” Keith said curtly, but everyone else took Allura up on the offer.

            “It’s not going to be poisoned or anything,” Shiro told him, but Keith held firm. Shiro shrugged at Allura and she left to get the drinks.

            “You’re sure you can get them to listen to us?” Pidge asked him.

            “No. But I’m sure you’ll all get home safe anyway. And at least we tried, right?”

            “Not exactly a warm reception,” Lance commented.

            “Can you blame them?” Pidge replied.

            “Can we just get this over with?” Hunk muttered. “I like the idea of being home and also safe.”

            “Deep breaths,” Shiro suggested, patting Hunk on the shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

            The tent flap rustled, but it wasn’t Allura returning. It was Alfor.

            “Well. This is interesting,” he observed.

            Shiro nodded to him, but remembered to keep himself from hunching or deferring. “Good to see you again, sir.”

            “Is it?” Alfor asked. “It is good to know you’re well, at least.” He walked around the table.

            “It _is_ good to see you again, and thank you. I’m well because of the help of good people. Confused, ignorant, but good.”

            Elythe and Dagha were the next two in, and Shiro nodded to them as well. “Dominants.”

            They looked over the humans with him, and then Elythe said, “I take it you’re not asking to come back?”

            He shook his head. “I don’t know where I belong, exactly, but it isn’t here.”

            They moved to stand next to Alfor, though Dagha gave Shiro a sympathetic half-smile. Allura came back in with cups of water for them all, even Keith, though she left that one on the table within reach of him. They all thanked her.

            “Are you sure this is wise, Allura?” her father asked her. “I know you trust Shiro, but these others…”

            “I know he would not endanger the pride, even if he has left it. And… we owe it to him to hear him out.”

            The three older lion-souls looked to Shiro, and he looked straight back at them for the first time ever. “I know about my parents. More or less. I’d like to know the details at some point, but that’s not as important right now.”

            They shared a look amongst themselves, and Elythe nodded. “We do owe you at least this much. We will hear you out, but we can’t hold the other prides to anything.”

            “I understand that,” he replied. “I’m grateful for this much.”

            Then the other prides’ dominants started showing up. Allura ducked out to arrange for more drinks to be brought in. Despite more warm bodies pressing in, the tent seemed to feel colder to Shiro. There was a weight in his stomach like a large chunk of ice. He just sipped his water and tried to look calmer than he felt.

            Once everyone was in and had water, Elythe called for attention. “Honored guests, we have…”

            “Humans,” one of them snarled, interrupting her.

            “Information,” Shiro responded before Elythe could. He didn’t want to be defended by them any longer. He had to show he could hold his own, or the other prides wouldn’t listen. “About the Hunters.”

            “You _are_ Hunters,” another accused. She pointed at the weapons the guys carried. “Silver weapons! We can feel it. And yet you dare come amongst us!”

            “Shiro is not a Hunter,” Allura told them.

            “He brings Hunters here!”

            “Our families are Hunters, but we’re not yet,” Pidge piped up.

            “Pidge. Let me do the talking for now,” Shiro suggested to her.

            “Hunter cubs,” one of the dominants scoffed. “Little better.”

            “We have agreed to hear him out,” Dagha put in, “because Shiro was raised among us. Though he recently left us, we cannot believe he would seek to do us harm.”

            “He’s smart enough not to do something like this otherwise,” Elythe muttered.

            “Unless he’s suicidal,” someone suggested.

            Shiro got straight to it before they could get sidetracked. “The Hunters are planning to attack the Assembly.”

            There was a brief silence and then raucous laughter broke out through the tent. “Let them come!” one of the dominants declared. “They will be torn apart and we will be rid of the Hunter menace!”

            “No, you won’t,” Shiro insisted. “You will only sow the seeds for further destruction.” He looked around at each of the dominants in turn, his stomach churning at the disrespect he felt he was showing. “Because those with me and others like them will take their places and vow revenge. The only way to secure safety for the prides is to reason with the Hunters and make peace with them.”

            “Impossible.”

            “It _is_ possible, but not easy. If the Assembly ends now and the prides scatter, the Hunters will have no targets. These people with me can talk to their families and friends about ending this struggle between us. Best of all, everyone lives.

            “Because, yes, you likely will destroy all or most of the Hunters if they attack. They don’t understand how large this gathering is. But some of you will die in the process. Will it be you or one of your loved ones? What if we,” he corrected himself, “you lose cubs? Are you willing to let even one lion-soul die when it could be avoided?”

            “We’re tired of running,” an aged dominant growled in a raspy voice. “We are stronger, faster, better than You Humans,” she insisted. “Why should we be the ones to flee and hide like scared rabbits? So what if a few of us die? The reward is worth the price.”

            “Haggar,” Dagha protested, “it’s not a reward. We won’t be ending this problem for good. We’ll just be putting it off. We will be making things worse for our own cubs and their cubs and theirs.”

            “Then we kill their cubs, too! Starting with these!”

            “You will NOT,” Shiro promised the old female, baring his teeth just a bit longer than necessary on the last word. “They are under my protection.”

            “Ha! The protection of a human! What good will that do you, whelp?”

            “They’re under _our_ protection,” Elythe insisted, and that surprised Shiro enough to make him turn to her. She was looking at the rest of the dominants. “We raised him to know our ways. We trust him, and we owe a debt to him. He and those with him _will_ leave safely.” She looked to Shiro. He smiled a little, gratefully, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

            He looked back to the rest of the tent. “We can disable the traps the Hunters have been setting to allow safe passage out of the area. I will go back and try to educate the humans on how wrong they are about lion-souls.”

            “They won’t listen to you,” someone insisted.

            “I will find a way. I have to at least try. This war has gone on long enough. Imagine it: no more running or hiding, but also no more slaughter. We could possibly even trade with the humans.” There was more than one scoff at that. “No more _death_ , on either side. Live and let live. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

           “We want peace for _our_ people. Who cares about them?”

           “That’s exactly how they feel,” Shiro replied. “And that’s exactly why we’ll never have peace.”

           They went around and around on the point for what felt like ages. Allura, as the most junior dominant present, made sure drinks and food were brought in as necessary and generally kept herself quiet. Shiro had to make his case himself, with occasional backing from Elythe.

           “We’re getting nowhere,” Alfor finally interjected, “and the hour grows late. I think we can all agree that all points have been heard by now?”

           _Repeatedly_ , Shiro thought. He nodded.

           “Let us retire for the night and think things over. The humans will stay in our camp, under our watch. If they harm anyone, we will kill them all ourselves. Is this acceptable?”

           There was some uneasy muttering, but no one spoke up in opposition.

           Alfor smiled like a gracious host. “Then let us get some rest.”

Shiro pulled the guys back to let the other prides’ dominants leave. He met every frown and glare in kind, pretending that he was tied to a tree and therefore couldn’t slouch and defer no matter how much he wanted to out of reflex.

“That could’ve been… better,” Dagha murmured when they were alone.

“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Elythe pointed out, arching her back with a tired groan.

“Thank you for listening to us,” Shiro said to them with a slight bow. “I know it’s causing you trouble, and I’m sorry for that, but...”

“You’re doing what you think is best and trying to prevent bloodshed,” Alfor spoke up. “You have no need to apologize.” He looked to his daughter. “Allura, find somewhere for our guests to sleep, will you?”

“Guests or prisoners?” Keith asked darkly.

“Bit of both, I’m afraid,” Elythe admitted. “But we will not harm you so long as you do not harm any of our people.”

“In any case, you have to sleep,” Allura said. “I’ll go find somewhere you can all sleep together. Feel free to set watch if you wish.”

“Maybe you should take them with you,” Elythe suggested. “Except for Shiro. We have something personal to discuss with him.”

“Hey now, Shiro stays with us!” Lance protested.

But Pidge, of course, got it. “C’mon, Lance. Shiro can take care of himself.”

“I’m more worried about who’ll take care of _us_ ,” he protested.

“We have to trust them at some point,” Hunk said. “Might as well be now.”

Keith looked like he might dispute that point, but Pidge marched straight up to Allura. “Okay, I’m ready, even if these chickens aren’t.”

“I’m not a chicken!” Lance declared.

A look passed between Allura and Shiro, and then she walked out, Pidge walking calmly with her, Lance pursuing Pidge in order to defend his humanity, then Hunk, and finally Keith, clearly bringing up rearguard and sharing his own long look with Shiro before the tent flap closed behind them.

He turned back to Elythe. “My parents?” he guessed.

She nodded. “Dagha, Alfor and I can handle this.”

Dagha headed out, patting Shiro’s shoulder as she passed him.

Elythe took a deep breath before beginning. “The Shiroganes were the most destructive Hunters our pride has ever encountered. We had fought other Hunter pairs and teams before, but your parents were lethal at a level we had never seen before. Anyone who went up against them died, and they were excellent trackers. We could not escape them; wherever we fled, they followed.

“There was a period of time where they disappeared. We might’ve welcomed the reprieve were we not so worried they were planning something truly devastating. Of course, now we know their absence was due to the female’s pregnancy. We didn’t know then why they were no longer hounding us.

“Aetheria advocated that we find the Shiroganes and eliminate them. An ambush attack – something out of our normal methods twice over. There was some debate about it. I was still just one of the pride’s hunters back then, and Aetheria had only been a dominant a short while. The other dominants wanted to leave our normal track entirely, move on to new lands while the Hunters were not on our tails, but Aetheria and I and a few others were convinced the Shiroganes would hunt us relentlessly.”

            She paused to take a drink. “We snuck out every night for weeks, tracking down the Shiroganes’ whereabouts. Then, when we found them, we planned our assault and, eventually, attacked.”

            Shiro swallowed. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the details, but he knew this was likely his only chance to know the truth. He made himself continue to appear impassive.

            “Even with the moonless night and surprise on our side, we lost two people to your parents. It took three of us to take out the male. The female was fighting single-handed, holding something that she was protecting. Aetheria delivered the killing blow, and then a loud shriek rang out. That was the first we knew of her child.”

            “That’s where this comes from,” Shiro said, rubbing the scar over the bridge of his nose.

            Elythe nodded. “It was an accident. She did a one-two slash combo; she got you in the second strike. Some of those with us – who have since died – wanted to kill you, too. Aetheria had recently given birth to Allura, and she couldn’t bear the thought of killing a cub. That she had hurt you pained her enough. She was a dominant; none of us could gainsay her. We returned to the pride that night with the news that our greatest enemies were dead.”

            “And with me.”

            “And with you,” she agreed. “We didn’t know what your parents named you; we called you ‘Shiro’ after their names. We brought you back in the blanket your mother was carrying you in when she died. It was the best we could do.”

            Alfor sighed. “Aetheria wanted to make it up to you, even though she knew it was impossible. She didn’t know how to take care of a human child, but she did the best she could with you.”

            “She did fine,” Shiro replied. “I was very sad when she died. But did she ever intend for me to know what happened?”

            He shook his head. “We worried over what you would do if you found out. Your blood isn’t just human, it’s that of the two greatest threats our pride ever faced.”

            “Is that why I was never turned?”

            Alfor’s brow furrowed, but it was Elythe who answered. “Perhaps a little. But mostly, Aetheria wanted you to survive. We would be dishonoring her memory to turn you at this point, and we couldn’t have turned you when you were a child. It’s dangerous, possibly life-threatening, to turn a human. If you didn’t survive…”

            “And there is, of course, Allura,” Alfor put in. “You two were so close; your death would have devastated her.”

            Shiro snorted. “She’d get over it.”

            “In time,” Alfor agreed without hesitation. “But why cause her that pain in the first place? Your parents wouldn’t have wanted you to be one of us.”

            “They wouldn’t have wanted me to be raised as one of you, either,” Shiro pointed out evenly. “They didn’t want to die. You disrespected those ‘wishes’ already. And I’ve spent my whole life being told to want something while simultaneously hearing that I could never have it. Do you understand how much that hurts? This isn’t like a cub whining over a toy. This is _my whole life_ , and I never even understood _why_.”

            “I’m sorry,” Alfor said. “We were doing the best we could.”

            Shiro sighed. “I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that it wasn’t enough.” He ran a hand back through his hair. “But thank you for finally telling me. At least I know now. And thank you again for listening, and for advocating for me. I didn’t expect that last part.”

            Elythe shrugged. “I’ve already seen what it is to slaughter Hunters. It feels powerful in the moment, but leaves part of your soul ragged. I never thought another way was possible. Perhaps the hope you offer is foolish, but I would rather try and fail than to continue alternating between running and killing.”

            “Thank you, Dominant.”

            She grinned. “I’m no longer your dominant, Shiro. You can call me Elythe. Unless you _did_ want to rejoin us…?”

            And, for a moment, he was tempted. This was the only home he’d ever known, and leaving it had been hard, something he’d seen through out of stubbornness and wounded pride.

            “I… can’t answer that right now,” he said, because, of course, there was Allura. It would be awkward, at a minimum, with things the way they were right now. “Besides, I have to go back with the others, to make sure they get home safe. I’m doing all of this so that, hopefully, no one else – on either side – ever has to grow up without their parents again. And they’ve helped me. I will not repay kindness with neglect.”

            Alfor smiled. “If I ever needed proof that we did some good in raising you, it’s that.”

            “Thank you, sir. I should catch up with them. They’ll be anxious in Allura’s care; the first thing they saw of her was her knocking me to the ground in her lion form.”

            Alfor and Elythe both chuckled. “You know, she may have promised to listen to you, but she might still be the worst enemy you have in this Assembly,” Elythe warned him.

            “I’m acutely aware. Excuse me.” And he bowed – quicker than he would have before he’d left – and headed out of the tent…

            …and into the view of dozens of lion-souls, either staring at him in befuddlement or else glaring hatred at him. He blinked a little in surprise, then straightened his spine and pressed forward. His eyes scanned for Allura or his friends, and he tried to ignore the quiet hatred and curiosity surrounding him on every side and swirling in his wake.

            “Ah, so this is the human pet,” an unfamiliar voice said. Shiro steeled himself to turn slowly rather than whipping around. He couldn’t afford anything that would seem like a challenge, and he was used to that. But he also couldn’t defer, and walking this razor’s edge was starting to be exhausting after the long hours in the dominants’ tent.

            It was night now, and the male who’d spoken was backlit by a campfire. Well-dressed with sharp eyes and a charming smile. Almost immediately, Shiro considered him more snake than lion. “I’m not a pet.”

            “Oh, sorry.” He didn’t sound like he was. “You left, of course. But now you’re back. With Hunters.” The smile began to fade. “How… intriguing.” Still not genuine to Shiro’s ears.

            “I came back to try to find peace for the lion-souled. Those with me want peace as well.”

            “Yet they come armed.”

            “For their own protection.”

            “And you are back for no other reason?” he pursued.

            “I’m not ‘back’. It’s… a visit, I suppose. I am here as possibly the only ambassador there could be between the humans and the lion-souls.”

            “So you’ll be leaving again.”

            “Yes.”

            “How soon can we expect that?”

            Shiro’s eyes narrowed a hair. “We’re no threat to you. To anyone here. Even if we were, there are but five of us against six prides’ worth of people.”

            “Threats come in many forms,” the male observed. “But I can tear you apart should I need to.”

            “I know that,” Shiro acknowledged without fear. It was something he’d lived with his whole life. This male might as well have told him that night was dark and day was bright.

            “But I will still be happy to see you gone.” There was a hint of a growl there.

            And that was when Shiro began to get an inkling. _Well-dressed, about her age, from another pride…_ He grinned just a little. “Have no fear.”

            “I do not _fear_ you,” the male told him.

            “No, no, of course not.” And now it was Shiro who sounded insincere.

 

 

            Allura came back from settling the humans in a storage tent to find Shiro and Lotor staring each other down. _Oh, fantastic._ “Lotor,” she said, walking up with a polite smile, “you had said you were looking forward to meeting Shiro, and now here he is. Isn’t that good news?”

            His reaction was interesting. It was as if he smoothed himself out like wrinkled cloth. It unsettled her how easily he could shift his demeanor, though she supposed it was a useful talent in politics. “Yes, quite,” he replied flatly. “Anything that gets you to smile is wonderful, betrothed mine.”

            Shiro didn’t react to that, which Allura found worrisome. She focused on Lotor for now though. “I’m sorry to have to break this up, but I have to show Shiro to where we’ve stashed his friends for the night.”

            “Ah well. Perhaps we’ll have more time to Chat later.” She noted the emphasis and thought, _You’re **so** subtle, Lotor._

            Shiro nodded. “Oh yes, that would be nice.” He sounded amused, if anything.

            “This way,” she all but insisted, and was glad to see Shiro immediately fall in next to her as she turned back the way she’d come from.

            She had to hold it in until they were far enough out of earshot, and Shiro was silent the whole time, which she appreciated. And just as she was about to speak, he said, “THAT’s the mate Alfor picked out for you? I thought he had better taste than that.”

            “Oh, honestly, Shiro,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

            “He’s a snake.”

            “Only a little,” she hedged.

            He snorted in mirth. “Oh, well that’s just dandy then.”

            “Shiro,” she stopped when they neared the storage tent and turned to face him. “We need to talk.”

            “Do we?” His tone was flat now.

            “Don’t we?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

            He considered her a moment. “Who told you?”

            She sputtered in outrage. “Why would you think…?”

            “Because if you didn’t recognize it when I was here, you wouldn’t have recognized it after I left.” He folded his arms. “Was it Coran?”

            She exhaled harshly. “And Romelle,” she admitted. “But we still need to talk about it.”

            “I don’t want to, but… you’re right.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “I knew all along what the reality was, and I didn’t like it. I knew I’d never get what I wanted, but instead of dealing with it, I just ran away like a cub throwing a tantrum. I’m sorry.”

            “You weren’t the only one.” She sighed. “We thought we knew each other so well that neither of us ever had to say anything. But that’s not true. We needed to talk to one another more and we didn’t, and so promises got broken and feelings got hurt.”

            “You could never have kept your promise. It was foolish to try to hold you to it. I could have kept mine, but it… it _hurt_.”

            “I know. I don’t want you in pain because of me. And I’ve been so angry, but I forgive you. You wanted a home here, and while we may have sheltered you, we were never that home. And I’m so sorry for that.”

            He didn’t respond and the silence wrapped around them.

            She let the first topic she could think of pop out of her mouth, just to break the constricting tension. “I know you don’t approve of Lotor, and, in your position, I can’t blame you for that.”

            “You don’t need my approval.”

            “Of course not, but it would’ve been nice. Let me guess: he’s not good enough for me?”

            “No one is good enough for you.”

            “No one?” she asked in surprise.

            He finally looked at her again. “No. One,” he insisted.

            “That can’t be true,” she said gently, but when she took a step toward him, he leaned away. He didn’t actually step back though.

            He changed the subject. “Elythe offered to let me come back.”

            She brightened. “Will you?”

            “I don’t know. I don’t think I can. At least, not now. It’s still too fresh a wound. Besides, isn’t the point of this to merge the prides? Be a bigger force to take out the Hunters?”

            “Well, yes…”

            He cut her off. “Then I don’t want to be around for that. I don’t want to be a part of that. I know that they’ve killed so many lion-souls, and others, too. I can’t condone that, but neither can I help you kill them. They’ve helped me. If I’m to survive in human society, I need them, and I want them to understand that they’re wrong about the prides, at least.” He looked back the way they’d come from. “And I don’t want to be around while that snake shows you off like a trophy.”

            “Oh, now that last part is unfair. You talked to him for, what? A couple of minutes?”

            He returned his attention to her. “If that. I know a snake when I see one.”

            She let that drop. “I can’t blame you for not wanting to be here. Not after all of this.”

            “Yeah,” he agreed weakly. The silence threatened again, until he said, “I should probably go in, calm the guys down. This is a pretty jittery experience for them.”

            “Not for you?”

            “Oh, no, of course not,” he said with a thin grin.

            “Of course not,” she repeated knowingly.

            “But, before I go, can I ask one thing?” When she nodded her assent, he gave her a single word. “How?”

            “How?” she repeated in confusion.

            “How could you not know? I… I should have told you, but how did you miss it?”

            _Oh._ She cleared her throat. “I thought it was normal, for you. That that was just how you smelled, just how your heartbeat was.”

            He blinked and then laughed. His mirth carried a bitter tinge. “Well, that would explain it.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

            “You should have. But I understand why you were upset that I didn’t know. And I should’ve paid more attention to you. I took you for granted, Shiro. You… you were right to leave, even if it hurt me.”

            “Did it? Hurt you, that is.”

            “Of course it did!”

            “I’m sorry then. I never wanted that. And… even if I think he’s a snake, I hope Lotor is good to you and treats you well. I want you to be happy more than anything, ‘Lura.”

            She smiled sadly at the childhood nickname. “Really? More than anything?”

            He nodded. “Yeah. That’s kind of how this works.” He shrugged. “Good night.” He headed for the tent flap.

            She wanted to talk more, just to keep him there, to keep hearing his voice. But she let him get his rest. _I suppose I’ve put him through enough for one day._ She turned and left, initially intending to go back to the main campfire, but then she changed her mind and headed for her tent instead. She didn’t want to deal with her betrothed at the moment, or anyone else. Her mind and heart were too full to sleep, but at least she could have some time to herself to contemplate things.

 

 

            “Oh. WOW.”

            Shiro recoiled almost as soon as the tent flap fell closed behind him. All four of his new friends were staring at him and he dropped his head into one hand as he realized, “You were all listening to that.”

            “Uh, yeah. You were right outside,” Lance said. “We kind of couldn’t help it. But more importantly…”

            “…you were totally in love with her!” Hunk finished.

            “Probably still _is_ ,” Pidge corrected.

            Shiro felt his face burning as he raised his head again. “It’s been a long day; don’t you guys want to sleep?”

            “We did until we heard that!” Hunk replied.

            “I’m not sure I _can_ sleep,” Keith muttered, casting a dark look towards the tent entrance. “Who knows what they might do?”

            “They’re going to go to their own tents and sleep,” Shiro maintained. “But if you want to set a watch, I can take first shift.”

            “Can we have a bedtime story about your girrrlllfriennnd?” Pidge cooed. They already had their bedrolls arranged around the boxes and barrels in the storage tent. Pidge had spread hers out atop a few boxes, and the boys were all on the ground.

            “No, you can _not_ ,” Shiro informed her. They all groaned in disappointment except for Keith. “Go to sleep.”

            They settled down with some grumping and protesting. Shiro spread out his own bedroll and set his pack down at the head of it, but moved to sit near the entrance to stop anyone who might try to get in. Eventually, everyone’s breathing evened out as sleep overtook them all. Almost all.

            “You really love her, huh?” Keith asked quietly from his bedroll.

            “Go to sleep, Keith.”

            He didn’t, of course. “You left because she didn’t love you back, and now here you are again. Because you don’t want our families to kill her.”

            “And I don’t want her to kill your families,” he reminded him. “She’s not a dominant just because her mother and father were. She’s proven herself in trials of skill, knowledge, and leadership. She’s formidable.”

            “That why you love her?”

            “Not at all. I…” He rephrased what he was about to say. “She’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. It used to be I couldn’t imagine my life without her. It’s still hard to, but that’s just how things have to go. I’m not worthy to be her mate.”

            “Why not? Just because you’re human?”

            “You say that like it’s nothing.” Shiro sighed. “I’m slower, weaker, and more fragile than any of the lion-souled males. Our cubs would be slower and weaker as well.”

            “Do these people not believe in love?”

            “Of course they believe in love. It’s just… I’m not like them. And she’s a dominant. She’s held to a higher standard, and has to maintain higher standards herself.”

            “If being a dominant isn’t something you’re born into, then what does it matter who her mate is? Why does she have to have such high standards if anyone who proves themselves can become a dominant?”

            “I… you don’t understand.” But the question had never occurred to Shiro before, and it threw him. He wasn’t sure how to explain it so Keith would get it.

            “Clearly. But she doesn’t love you at all?”

            “Not the same way,” Shiro told him. “Like I said, we’ve been best friends our whole lives. Grew up together. Played together, learned together, fought together, got in trouble together. We were always together. And we’d promised we’d stay that way. Sort of.”

            “Sort of?” Keith asked.

            “I promised I wouldn’t leave her; she promised she wouldn’t leave me behind. But, as I’m sure you eavesdroppers overheard, that was never a promise I could hold her to. Of course she left me behind; she’s better than I am in every possible way.”

            “That’s not true!”

            “Shhh!” Shiro hushed him quickly. “The others are sleeping.”

            Keith dropped his voice. “Maybe you’re not as strong or fast or whatever as the werelions are, and you’re not a ‘dominant’, okay fine. But she’s not the one who’s putting her neck on the line to win peace between two groups of people who’ve been killing each other for centuries.”

            “It… it wouldn’t even occur to her, the way she’s been brought up…”

            “Weren’t you brought up the same way?”

            “Yes, but I’m huma- …”

            “Stop that,” Keith hissed. “You hide behind ‘I’m human’ as if being human was some sort of disease or injury or weakness. We’re different from your precious ‘lion-souls’ but we’re not inferior to them. We’re just as deserving of respect and peace as they are.”

            “Of course you are.”

            “But you aren’t?” Keith asked.

            “I don’t know. I know I _am_ human, but I’ve never _felt_ human.” He sighed.

            “What do you feel like you are?”

            “A broken lion-soul, I guess. It’s always felt like I _should_ be able to do what they can do, but I _can’t_. I guess, for me, being human really does feel like a disease. But I don’t think you’re diseased, or any of the other guys!” he added quickly. “You’re human and you should be human and you have every right to live your lives in peace.”

            “And what are you going to do?”

            “Try to be human, I guess. Who knows? Maybe if I try hard enough, long enough, I’ll…”

            “You don’t believe that.”

            Shiro was quiet in the face of that truth. “Go to sleep, Keith.”

            “You’ve been up a while. You get some sleep. I’ll take over.”

            “You sure?”

            “Yeah, I’m not sleepy. If I get tired, I’ll wake Lance up.”

            “Just so long as you don’t keep him up all night staring into his eyes or anything.”

            “Oh, ha ha,” Keith muttered. “Pidge is a bad influence on you.”

            Shiro smiled wanly. “Thanks, Keith. For letting me talk about it a little.”

            “Yeah, yeah. Lay down, get some rest.”

            Shiro moved to his bedroll and did as Keith suggested – the first part, anyway. He didn’t think he’d be able to rest, but he sank into sleep before he knew it.

 

 

            The next morning, Allura had water and breakfast brought to the dominants’ tent as soon as she was up and dressed. She went to check on Shiro’s little “pride,” and waited on them to get ready so she could escort them. She was hoping for a quiet moment alone with Shiro, but he was the last one out of the tent. She shot him a Look (she was almost certain he’d done it on purpose) then led the way.

            By the time she brought them in, most of the prides’ dominants were present, drinking and eating and talking amongst themselves. The murmur died down as the humans – with their silver weapons – walked in. It didn’t escape Allura’s notice that Shiro put himself between the other lion-souls and his human friends. She brought a tray of water and food over for them; as usual, Keith rejected both, but everyone else helped themselves with quiet thanks.

            It was a tense breakfast, especially after the remaining dominants joined them. Everyone wanted to get it over with, but no one wanted to be rude about it, apparently, not even Haggar and the other dominants from Lotor’s pride. But as soon as the last person finished eating, one of the dominants spoke up.

            “These humans advance an interesting idea. We have discussed it amongst ourselves, and though we would welcome an end to the hostilities, we think it’s best for our pride to be cautious. We will go on as we have been.”

            Other prides had come to the same conclusions, it seemed: intrigued by peace, but afraid of being betrayed. Allura couldn’t really blame them, even as she wanted to fume. _Shiro would **never** betray us!_ But they didn’t know him the way she did. She exchanged a look with Elythe and Dagha as Haggar stepped forward.

            “Humans are inferior to us, and yet we should treat them as equals instead of as the pests they are?” she huffed. “We should let _them_ chase _us_ off? We should summon up the true lions of our natures and be rid of them! OUR pride is still willing to ally, to merge, and to rise up and destroy the annoyance that is the Hunters, once and for all.”

            “Well, that’s unfortunate,” Elythe replied smoothly, “as our pride will stand by Shiro.” Her eyes swept over the others. “We will take the risk that no one else dares.” She looked to Shiro. “We are willing to discuss peace with the Hunters if they are willing to talk with and respect us. And we trust you to mediate this.”

            Haggar scowled. “We will NOT ally with those who have killed so many of our people.”

            “Then you will not ally with _us_ ,” Allura growled. It was out of turn; she was the youngest dominant in her pride, and the youngest of them all here. But she _was_ still a dominant.

            In truth, she hadn’t talked with Elythe and Dagha at all last night. There had been no consensus reached among the three of them. She hadn’t even talked with her father, who was standing quietly behind Elythe, glaring stoically, the challenge lurking in his eyes that said he would Deal With anyone who started trouble. But hearing the older dominants express her own opinion gave her confidence to speak up.

            “More specifically,” Allura continued, “I will _not_ take Lotor as mate if you’re going to continue to pursue this reckless course of bloodshed and destruction. There will be no union between our prides.”

            “You think you can speak this way to us? What makes you think you can declare the merger off, cub?”

            “She is a dominant of this pride,” Dagha reminded Haggar. “And even were she not, her mate is _her_ choice. She has every right to cancel the betrothal, and, with it, the planned merging of our prides.”

            Haggar sneered and pointed at Allura. “Mark me: this will be the end of you all! You doom your cubs and yourselves to death or, worse still, slavery to the humans!”

            Allura ignored her and addressed the other dominants. “At the next Assembly, we will let you all know how things have gone. If they have gone poorly – or if none of us are alive to attend – then you will see that it was all a ruse. I’m sure Haggar and her pride will be so glad to know they were right in predicting the destruction of an entire pride.”

            “On the other hand, if we arrive with good news and in good health, then perhaps you will all consider similar measures?” Elythe pursued, trying to steer things back onto a positive track. Allura saw some dominants nodding their heads thoughtfully. “We will take this risk, not because we are braver or better than any of you – because I can fault none of you for being wary of the Hunters and wanting to safeguard your people – but because we know the one who makes the offer. We trust him, but we understand why you do not. We believe in him, and all of us here will see what the future holds.”

            “Death,” Haggar promised. “Death awaits you all for this.”

            “Death awaits all of us,” Dagha told her. “And death has come early for so many of us at the hands of Hunters. If there’s a way to stave it off for our cubs and the ones who come after, I am willing to take that chance.”

            “You hasten it,” the old crone insisted.

            “Well, that is our business, not yours,” Allura reminded her. “Especially now that we are not merging our prides.”

            One of the other dominants cleared her throat and spoke up. “Perhaps we should end the Assembly. Most of the trade has been done, and there is no longer a ceremony to attend, it would seem.”

            Shiro nodded. “We’ll go ahead and see about clearing traps for you to leave safely. If the prides hurry, they should be gone before the Hunters attack.”

            Haggar stormed out, the other dominants in her pride following her.

            Another dominant said, “If nothing else, you all risked your lives to come here and warn us. I have no doubt we would have exterminated a great many Hunters, but we would have lost people in the fight. Now we can go on our way in safety. No matter what else may come of this, you have done that much for us. Our pride will remember it.”

            “Thank you, Dominant,” Shiro said to her.

            Allura felt her heart lighten. She was glad not to have to mate with Lotor. She was glad that Elythe and Dagha had backed Shiro, and even gladder that some of the other prides were recognizing his contribution, at least a little. She wanted to smile until her face split in two, but she kept her expression straight and solemn, as most dominants seemed to prefer, while everyone else filed out.

            Once they were gone, it was like everyone left in the tent exhaled at once.

            “That went better than I was expecting, honestly,” Shiro said.

            Allura watched her father ease down. “Be careful out there with those traps,” he said. “And try to avoid Haggar’s pride on your way to disable them. Just in case.”

            “You think they’d attack us?” Pidge asked.

            “I don’t know, and that’s why I’d rather you didn’t take the chance.”

            “We’ll be careful, Alfor. Thank you,” Shiro said.

            Allura cleared her throat. “I’m sorry about the betrothal, Father. I know you were keen on it, but it just wasn’t going to work.”

            “I know that. You have nothing to be sorry about. Your mother would’ve been so proud to see that. And, honestly, I think you’ll be happier without him.”

            Allura boggled at her father, as did Elythe and Dagha. “I thought you advocated the match?” Dagha asked.

            “You certainly weren’t subtle about it,” Allura muttered under her breath.

            “That was before we got to know him and his pride better. This whole Hunter thing aside, you’ve been tense around him. Strained. I had intended to talk with you about it before all of this happened.” He came around the table to put a hand on her shoulder. “I want only for your health and happiness, daughter.” Allura hugged him tightly.

            “And grandcubs!” Elythe laughed.

            “Oh, heavens, not you, too!” Allura growled at her as she pulled away from her father.

            “We’re just warning you now,” Dagha told her. “That’s a male who wants grandcubs. I can see it in his eyes.”

            “Is there something wrong with that?!” Alfor retorted defensively.

            “Yeah, okay, this,” Lance gestured to the three older dominants, “actually sells me on the notion that they’re more like us than we thought. I think my family’s had this conversation about a dozen times over by now.”

            Hunk nodded. “Yeah, same. It’s really reassuring to just watch families be families, y’know?”

            “We’ll keep that in mind when we meet with your own families,” Alfor told him.

            “Speaking of which, we should get going,” Shiro said. “We have to deactivate those traps and then I should get everyone back to the town. Their parents are going to be worried, I’m sure.”

            “‘Worried’?” Pidge repeated. “My dad is going to be _apoplectic_. But hopefully you can reassure him at least a little.”

            “Getting you home safe and in one piece will be a big help in his trusting me again, I hope.”

            Allura’s brow furrowed. “Did you just make off with these cubs?”

            “We’re not cubs!” Keith insisted.

            “We’re not even children!” Lance declared. “Except for Little Miss Katherine over here.”

            If looks could kill, Pidge would’ve murdered Lance a hundred times over in the space of a second. “Lance, I will make you HURT for that.”

            “Maybe in a decade or so,” he admitted nonchalantly. “When you’re tall enough to reach.”

            Shiro swooped in to catch Pidge as she launched herself at the lanky male. Allura snorted as the young enraged female clawed futilely at Lance (who darted behind Keith).

            “Yes, of course you’re not cubs,” Elythe replied with smooth sarcasm. “But you should probably not dawdle here too long. Your parents will be missing you. But, before you go: Shiro? Any thoughts on our offer?”

            “Our?” he asked, still restraining a flailing Pidge.

            She nodded. “Our.”

            His eyes darted to Allura. She held his gaze until he tore it away to look back at Elythe. “I’m grateful for all you’ve done here and for the offer, but I can’t accept it. I’m sorry.”

            “I understand.” Something about the way the older dominant said those two words made Allura turn her head to the female and, as expected, she was looking right at her. Allura arched an eyebrow and Elythe looked away nonchalantly. “We will see you again when the Hunters are ready to discuss things with us?”

            He nodded. “Yes. Will you also be packing up? The weather’s starting to turn.”

            “We’ll stay another couple of days, but after that we’ll be taking our usual route south,” she confirmed.

            “I don’t know that we’ll want to travel this close to winter,” Hunk said. “After this, the plan was to head home and hunker down until spring.”

            “Well, that will give Shiro some time to convince them, if nothing else,” Dagha pointed out. “It’s taken generations for things to build to this point; we can’t expect them to change overnight.”

            Shiro nodded. Pidge had finally settled down – though she was still glaring sullenly at Lance – and he let her go, though he watched her carefully. “Guys, let’s go get our stuff and get going.” He held the tent flap for them and stared at Pidge until she went out first. Hunk chuckled and went next, and Lance shoved Keith out ahead of him as one more shield between him and the angered female.

            Shiro hung back a moment. “Thank you again. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can be, but I don’t know when that will be.”

            Allura felt she had to say something to him before he left, but there was so much to say and it was a jumble in her head and her heart, and in the end she stood there silently and watched him duck out after the humans.

 

 

            “You didn’t say _anything_?!” Romelle was incredulous.

            “Keep it down,” Allura reminded her tersely. They were on the edge of the camp, but that didn’t mean they were out of earshot.

            “And you let him go without making him say it,” her cousin groaned, throwing her hands up in the air.

            “What’s the point? We both knew what we were talking about.”

            Romelle fixed her with a withering stare. “Assuming things don’t have to be said has gotten you two to the state you’re in now. Make. Him. TELL YOU. If nothing else, it’s good to hear, and good for him to say. He’ll get it off his chest.”

            “Maybe he doesn’t want to say it.”

            “That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t.” Romelle folded her arms. “You were right to be upset with him for not telling you. Make him make proper restitution, dammit.”

            Allura sighed. “I feel like he’s been through enough. I don’t want to keep torturing him.”

            Romelle came over and put her hands on Allura’s shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. They were of similar height (Romelle was maybe an inch or two shorter) and build, their shared blood more obvious when they were near one another. “This might be your last chance. It will be too awkward to just ‘bring up’ in conversation later, and that’s assuming you even _get_ that conversation. From the sound of it, you’ll only be seeing him in an ‘official’ capacity during mediation with the Hunters.

            “This will help you both heal. You can’t move on without doing this. Even if Lotor’s not in the picture any longer, you’ll be expected to mate at _some_ point. Do you really want to spend a lifetime imagining Shiro saying it instead of actually hearing it?”

            Allura frowned. “You’re awfully insistent on this being for my benefit.”

            Her cousin sighed. “You’ve never run from a fight or a hunt. I’ve seen you continue to battle even when you were in pain. But I know this is a different kind of pain for you. This doesn’t heal as quickly as our bodies do. And you don’t know how to fight through this. So you run. You’ve been running from it for a while now. Stop running, Allura. Face it.”

            It was reflex to want to protest, to pretend she didn’t know what Romelle was saying. But she made herself really listen to her. “How’d you get so wise?”

            “I’m not. I’m just used to staying in the shadows and paying attention.” She grinned. “Like any good huntress.”

            “Maybe you should be the dominant,” Allura said quietly.

            “We’ve been through this, haven’t we? I didn’t compete for it because I don’t want it. But I promise that this pride – and you, my favorite cousin – will always have use of my skills. And you’re avoiding the topic. Stop running.”

            Now it was Allura’s turn to sigh. She pulled herself away from Romelle’s grip and hugged herself instead. “This isn’t like fighting or hunting. This is more like stabbing myself in the chest.”

            “At least you’re being honest about it now.”

            “I swear, I honestly didn’t even think about it before you and Coran told me! It was just… how it was. Before all of this, I never thought…”

            “EXACTLY.”

            Allura shot her a mild glare. “Keep it up, cousin, and you’re gonna end up in a fight.”

            “You have to tell him at least as much as he has to tell you. Holding it in isn’t any good for you. Might as well be holding onto a silver rod as hold onto this.”

            It took her a bit to admit, “You-you’re right. I should. But…”

            “But nothing. Go tell him while you still have the chance. Make him tell you.”

            “Even in front of those humans?” Allura whined.

            “Is it really something to be ashamed of?” Romelle countered. “Who cares what the other humans think?”

            “‘The other humans,’” she repeated, considering the phrase. “You know, it’s weird to think of Shiro as human. I mean, he is, of course. He always has been. But it sounds… wrong. Like it diminishes him. He’s always been so much more than that.”

            Romelle grinned. “To you, sure.” Allura lashed out, thwapping her on the arm, and her cousin laughed. “Okay, okay, I suppose it’s true. He’s finding that out himself now, I think. He’s not one of us, but he’s not really one of them, either. I don’t know what he is.”

            “I doubt he knows either,” Allura pointed out. “But this is what I mean when I say he’s been through enough. He’s never _belonged_ anywhere. I feel like we’ve done him a disservice, but what was the alternative? Leaving him to die? Perhaps Mother shouldn’t have gone after the Shiroganes, but she did, and the female was past saving when they discovered her baby. There was no way back at that point, no other way to make it right.” She exhaled. “We did this to him.”

            “You said he wanted us to listen to him to settle that debt. And we are. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Allura. And don’t use it as an excuse.”

            “I’m not! …Anymore,” she allowed. “My point is that… oh, I don’t know. I suppose I didn’t have one. I just want him to be happy, and it feels like he was never given the chance.”

            “Oh, please. Now you’re getting maudlin about it. He was happy every time he was with you,” Romelle told her.

            “Not every time.”

            “Every. Time.” She tapped her own nose. “Maybe you thought it was just his scent, but _my_ nose knows better. Even when he was angry with you, even when he was upset or sad, he was happy to see you.” She nudged Allura with her elbow and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Remember the Bucket Incident?”

            Allura snorted and then giggled. “He took all the blame for that, too. Even though it was my idea to begin with.”

            “I know you two had fun with that little adventure before you got caught.”

            “We did,” she affirmed fondly. “Oh, the look on Coran’s face…” She couldn’t help laughing again at the memory.

            “So see? There was happiness in Shiro’s life. It wasn’t all misery and feeling out of place; sometimes it was mischief and giggles and,” her tone turned grumpy, “winging acorns at my head.”

            “Oh, heavens, Romelle, are you _still_ mad about that?!”

            “I have every right to be,” she sniffed.

            “It was a childhood prank!”

            “It was a dirty sneak attack is what it was!”

            “No, this is!” She tackled Romelle to the ground and tried to tickle her.

            “Hey! No fair!” Her victim tried to roll away from the tickling fingers. “You have a male to go smooch!”

            Allura gasped in outrage and increased her onslaught. “I’m not going to smooch him!”

            “Why not? You waaaaaaaant tooooooooo,” she cooed before shrieking and trying to get away again.

            “You are not to say a WORD about this to ANYONE!” Allura hissed. “ _Especially_ not my father and the other dominants!”

            “I won’t breathe a syllable even!” Romelle promised, and Allura got off her. Romelle stood up and added as she dusted herself off, “At least not until afterwards.”

            “I will unleash another acorn ambush on you,” Allura threatened with a growl.

            “Oh, I’m ready for it this time.” Romelle grinned and nodded her head in the direction of the camp proper. “Go on. Go find your loverboy and kiss him silly.”

            “I am going to _talk_ with him, Romelle! No kissing! No… no _anything_ that requires sylphroot!”

            “Blushiiiiing,” she sing-songed.

            “LEAVING,” Allura declared, stalking past her snickering cousin. But Romelle was right: she and Shiro owed each other the truth, as uncomfortable as it was going to be. She would view this as a challenge to be overcome and push through out of sheer stubbornness, if nothing else. _I can do **anything** ,_ she reminded herself. _I can do this. For my sake **and** his. No more secrets. No more left unsaid._

 

 

           “I think that’s the last one in this area,” Lance said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

           “Okay,” Shiro replied, looking around. “I think this gives the prides enough room to get out. Let me get you guys back to Hunk’s horses, and then I’ll go back and let them know the safe path out past the traps.”

           “You sure it’s enough?” Hunk asked.

           “Hunk,” Lance whined, “do you really want to do _more_?”

           “I just want to be sure we don’t tell them they’re safe and it turns out they’re not. That’ll just make things worse when we’re trying to make them better.”

           “Our families are nothing if not thorough,” Pidge chuckled wanly. “But if Shiro says they can get past what’s still out there, then we should trust him.”

           Shiro nodded. “Don’t worry; if they get angry, I’ll make sure they come after me and not you guys.”

           “What are you going to do after this?” Keith asked. “I mean, I know you’re going to be mediating this peace deal, or trying to, but… what then?”

           Shiro shrugged. “Let’s just focus on this for now.”

           “Where are you going to live?” Pidge followed up. “You know you’d be welcome with us.”

           “I’ve imposed on your father’s hospitality enough. You should let him know his debt has been paid.”

           “Yeah, but that doesn’t answer the question,” Hunk pointed out. “And you didn’t answer Keith’s either.”

           _Because I haven’t really thought that far ahead_. Shiro kept that to himself. “I’m just grateful to have gotten even one pride to be willing to attempt peace. Let’s get you guys back to the horses so you can get home. As it is, your parents are probably less than pleased with me.”

           Lance grinned. “We’ll make sure they come after us and not you.”

           There were chuckles all around at that as they stepped past the disassembled traps. Pidge was right: there were all kinds of traps laid out and some of them Shiro wouldn’t have been able to find on his own. The Hunters had their own symbols and codes just as the prides did; without knowing those, he might’ve been caught in some of the more devious traps. And disabling them? Some were as easy as cutting a rope, but many were trickier contraptions concocted by none other than Sam Holt himself. Pidge had proudly pointed out her father’s innovations every chance she got, even as she helped dismantle them.

           Shiro intended to personally show the prides out, so he was sure they’d make it through safely. Hunk wasn’t wrong about the reaction they’d get if misfortune befell even a single pride member in all of this. But, first things first.

           “I got turned around,” Hunk confessed. “Where’d we leave the horses?”

           “This way,” Shiro said, picking his way past the remnants of a bear trap he’d almost walked right into before Keith had grabbed hold of his arm to stop him. Shiro eyed the fallen tree branch they’d used to set that one off – it had been snapped in half like a dry twig, and the broken ends weren’t much more than splinters. The Hunters had set these to seriously incapacitate, if not kill. Shiro was more convinced than ever that he’d done the right thing in preventing this attack.

           “Leaving now that you’ve gotten your way?”

           Shiro whipped towards the voice. It was Allura’s erstwhile betrothed. “Gotten my way? I got one pride to listen to me,” he pointed out. “The one pride most likely to listen to me in the first place, I might add.”

           “You got the only pride you needed.”

           Shiro cocked his head a little. “I’m confused. No, wait, I think _you’re_ confused.”

           Lotor began to move towards him slowly. Shiro, in turn, made sure to stay between the male and his human friends. To anyone else, it might look like a leisurely stroll, but he knew when a lion-soul was on the prowl. “I am not stupid, human.” He practically spat the word. “My nose is as sharp as anyone’s. I’m not sure what you hope to accomplish by all of this, but I know you don’t approve of me, and that you want her.” Shiro’s eyes narrowed, but the male wasn’t done yet. “Are you hoping they’ll turn you? Even as one of us, you’d still be a sorry mate for a dominant.”

           “They won’t turn me,” Shiro said. “Or they would have by now. And my only goal was and is peace between the Hunters and the prides. My ‘approval’ of you had no bearing on Allura’s decision to reject you.”

           He regretted his word choice almost instantly as Lotor snarled at him. “You have more sway over her than you think. I suppose it might be for the best that the match is off; if she’s so soft-hearted about humans because of her time with her pet…”

           “I am _no one’s_ pet,” Shiro growled.

           Lotor stopped his prowling to laugh at him. “Well, what else could you have been to her? I mean, I do admire your taste in females, but talk about one’s reach exceeding one’s grasp…” He shook his head. “I’d heard about you before we came here. I thought it spoke well of Allura and her pride, to have tamed a human. But instead, you’ve weakened her. She could’ve been one of the best dominants the prides had ever seen, and look what you’ve done to her.”

           “Well, I’m leaving,” Shiro reminded him. “And that’s what you wanted, after all. So how about I go my way, you go yours, and that’ll be the end of it?”

           “Because you’re coming _back_ ,” Lotor snarled.

           Shiro gave one nod, still watching his opponent. Because Lotor had definitely positioned himself as such. Shiro was watching carefully for the first signs of an attack. “Not to stay,” he said.

           “Coming back to _make peace_. Or to try. We are better than you in every conceivable way. The only ‘co-existence’ that there should be between us would be if all humans were nothing more than our playthings and slaves, the way You should’ve been.”

           “That will _never_ happen.”

           Lotor shrugged. “Then so be it. But I will not stand by any longer to watch my people slaughtered like beasts when all we’ve wanted is to live our lives in peace. The humans hate and fear us? We’ll give them cause to be afraid. And either they will learn to leave us be, or they will die. _THAT_ is how our people will survive, not by inviting those vicious creatures into our homes.”

           “You say you will not stand by and watch your people slaughtered? Neither will the Hunters! Don’t you understand that you’re only making things worse?” Shiro didn’t honestly expect Lotor to listen to him, but every moment that the male wasn’t attacking was precious. He wished he had a way to signal his friends to run, but the first quick movement was also going to be the start of this fight… and probably the end of it as well. He could tackle Lotor, and, with some luck, stall him long enough for the guys to get a good start, but he wouldn’t last long. Once he was dead, Lotor would easily get to the humans before they could get to the horses.

           “I’m making things worse for humans, and better for my own people. Isn’t that what everyone does?”

           “Not everyone,” Pidge said from behind Shiro, her voice grim with determination.

_Dammit, Pidge, NO._

           “Oh yes, behold your savior,” Lotor sneered mockingly, gesturing to Shiro. “Of humans born, of lion-souls raised! A child of both worlds, here to bring them together!” He snorted. “You’re a threat because of what you represent, pet. No other reason.”

           “And what do I represent?” Shiro asked. “The hope for peace? How is that a threat?”

           Lotor’s eyes narrowed, and Shiro steadied his footing. “The only peace any of you humans will have is the sweet oblivion of death.” But instead of attacking directly, Lotor began to shift.

           “Run!” Shiro shouted to the others as he did the same. He wanted them to run _away_ from Lotor, but he ran _towards_ him, knocking him down while he was still mid-shift.

           “Like hell!” Pidge called back.

           Shiro didn’t have time to respond to her. He was trying to pin Lotor’s arms to the ground, even as the pale gold fur grew and the fingers became claws. It was hard to keep him down, but fortunately he couldn’t throw Shiro off at the moment, as most of his energy was going into shifting forms. _That won’t last long._

           “Shiro, get out of the way!” Lance called.

           Shiro glanced over his shoulder and found the guys had all drawn their weapons; Lance was trying to get a clear shot with his arrows. “Get out of here!” he insisted.

           And then Shiro went flying. The world was all blur and wind until he smacked against a tree trunk and fell to the leaf-littered ground. No more wind, still a little blur, and a whole lot of pain. He groaned.

           There was a loud roar and Shiro pulled his eyes open enough to see Lotor in his warrior form charging towards him. His mane and fur were lighter than the other lions Shiro’d seen (save Allura and Alfor, who were both white). He was huge, half again as tall as Shiro, all sinewy muscles with clawed hands, a tail, and, of course, a lion’s head with its slit pupils and mouth of sharp fangs. He was, in essence, a very large lion that could move about on his hind legs as well as any human. And that was warrior form in a nutshell: all the lethal strength, speed, and senses of a lion combined with a human’s mobility and opposable thumbs to grant grappling, grabbing, and weapon-wielding. A lion-soul in warrior form was one of the deadliest creatures known. _Well, I tried, at least._

           But then Lotor howled in pain and turned away. _The guys,_ Shiro remembered. He pushed himself up unsteadily. Everything held his weight, but he stumbled back against the tree trunk for stability. _I have to get them home safe._

           Pidge ran up to help steady him. “Here, drink this,” she said. She cast a glance back at their friends. Keith was alternating between letting Hunk and his silver-coated shield cover him and darting out to swipe at Lotor’s legs with his sword. None of his strikes were connecting. Lance was taking his time to aim his shots, but Lotor was fast enough that, aside from the first arrow – the broken shaft of which was still sticking out of the warrior’s left arm – none seemed to have hit home.

           “Hey now. Drink,” Pidge urged. She was pressing a bottle of what looked like watery blood on him.

           “What _is_ this?” he protested.

           “It’ll help, at least temporarily. Don’t worry; it’s just colored red so we know which potion it is. Also, it’s strawberry-flavored.”

           He accepted the uncorked bottle and raised it to his lips, downing most of it in one go. He gagged. “It’s like someone just punched me in the mouth with a strawberry-flavored fist.”

           “Hey, subtle it ain’t. We’ve got bigger problems,” she reminded him, jerking her head towards Lotor. “You gonna be okay to help or do you need to sit this out?”

           “I can’t let you guys fight him alone,” he declared. And, strangely, he did start to feel better. Clearer-headed, better able to push the pain aside and focus.

           “Good. Here.” She swung her pack off her back. “I snuck out one of Dad’s newest toys. You might be able to make use of it.” And then she drew her dagger and ran into the fray before Shiro could grab her to try to keep her out of it. He watched her leap to try to stab Lotor’s thigh before she was swatted away. He cried out, but she got back up, grinned her crooked grin at Shiro, and launched back into the fight.

          He redirected his attention to the pack, riffling through it to try to find this “toy” of Sam’s she’d mentioned. He found an oddly shaped bundle and unwrapped it… before grinning. _Yes, this might help._

           Shiro kept one eye on the fight as much as he could while he prepared. Keith and Pidge were be-deviling Lotor’s flanks. Hunk mostly provided cover, occasionally shield-bashing a claw away. Lance was still taking careful aim, now mostly at Lotor’s hands to keep him from grabbing hold of anyone. The arrows either grazed or just missed their targets, but it kept Lotor busy, his attention fluctuating between threats.

           Shiro made his stand, left shoulder towards the enraged male. _Present a smaller target_ , he’d always taught the cubs. “HEY!” he yelled. “I’m the one you want, right?” He grinned. “I’m the _THREAT_ , right? To you being with Allura? Because that’s really what you’re pissed about, isn’t it? I mean, I admire your taste in females, but…”

           He didn’t get the chance to finish his verbal jab, because Lotor knocked Keith and Hunk away with a vicious swipe and charged at him. Shiro needed him in close. A large claw reached for him and Shiro darted forward just enough so the claw-swipe would miss him. Lotor took the bait, grabbing hold of him and starting to lift him into the air before dropping him with a howl.

           Shiro rolled as he hit the ground, came up running, and tried to knock Lotor down by slamming his right side into the warrior’s leg. This would normally be laughable, but, thanks to Sam and Pidge, nearly all of Shiro’s right arm was covered by thick silver plates that overlapped each other. A hinged plate came down over his first knuckles – easily pushed aside if he needed to grab something, but otherwise protecting at least some of his hand. The armor strapped on in several places, and he’d had to cinch it quite tight to keep it in place given how heavy the plates were. It wasn’t anything he’d want to use for long stretches, but it only slightly hindered his arm’s movement and gave it not only protection but made his every punch, strike, and block hurt a lion-souled foe.

           Lotor stumbled, but didn’t quite fall over. He knocked an arrow out of the sky as he flailed for stability, and Pidge scooped it up to toss it to Shiro. He caught it with his left hand and pulled back to plunge it into Lotor’s leg, but his arm was grabbed and he was hurled away again. The arrow went flying as he skidded along the ground until he hit a tree. He scrambled back to his feet and back into the fight.

           “Lance!” Keith was yelling, “Aim for the eyes!”

           “You make it sound so easy!” the archer retorted.

           “Get him on the ground!” Shiro called out to them. “Everything’s easier once he’s down!”

           “Pidge!” Hunk screamed.

           Shiro’s eyes cast about until he found her running straight for Lotor. He charged after her, but just as Lotor tried to claw her, she dropped, sliding under his grasp. There was a flash and a _very_ loud howl, and Shiro saw red bloom on Lotor’s ankle; she’d sliced it as she slid past. She was back on her feet on the other side.

           “Good job, Pidge!” he called out. She grinned at him. “He’s wounded! Keith, Pidge, you know what to do! Hunk, cover Lance! Lance, aim for the eyes!”

           “Oh, not you, too!” he protested, but he was grinning, too.

           Lotor snarled and swiped at Keith, who ducked and rolled out of the way. The warrior kicked him away from his injury, and nearly stepped on Pidge coming in to try to aggravate the wound. She jumped back just in time.

           “I’ve got an idea!” Hunk yelled.

           “Go for it,” Shiro called back. Hunk tossed his shield to him, and Shiro pulled his left arm through the straps and bashed at a clawed hand trying to get to Lance.

           Lotor was fast – faster than Allura, even – and the shield and silver armor were tiring Shiro out. But he watched for every incoming attack, tried to push back rather than just deflect, maybe get a punch in when he could. It wasn’t often.

           Keith and Pidge were doing their damnedest to be irritating, and it appeared to be working, but they weren’t going to be able to annoy Lotor to death.

           “Shiro!” Hunk called, running from behind the warrior towards him. Shiro tossed Hunk his shield. “Now we charge.”

           “Charge? DUCK!” They both did, Hunk hiding beneath his shield.

           “Charge,” he insisted, and jutted his chin towards something. Shiro peered in that direction and then grinned.

           “Charge,” he agreed, and they took off. Shiro thought he’d have to slow himself down to keep up with Hunk, but he didn’t have to pull himself back too much. Once Hunk got going, he seemed hard to stop, and they didn’t have far to go.

           An arrow sprouted out of Lotor’s hand, causing a howl of outrage and a whoop of triumph from Lance behind them. And Shiro and Hunk hit Lotor’s injured leg together, jamming silver against gold fur and throwing all their weight behind it. Lotor yowled and stumbled back. There was a loud SNAP! and a veritable explosion of blood.

           Hunk had pulled out the extra-strength bear trap and reset it right behind their attacker.

           Lotor swept them all away from himself and bent to pull the trap open. “If only it were silver coated,” Hunk sighed wistfully.

           “Why isn’t it?”

           “Hey, that stuff’s expensive.”

           “Less talking, more fighting!” Keith insisted. He ducked another claw swipe and danced away to try to find a better angle.

           An arrow hit Lotor in the muzzle; he howled as he yanked it out and threw it back towards Lance, who barely got out of the way in time. The arrow thunked into the tree behind him.

           Shiro used this distraction to get behind Lotor. He had to get a running leap, but he was able to get on the lion-soul’s back just as he freed his foot from the trap.

           “PESTS!” Lotor roared, his voice no longer slick and confident but serrated and growly, words coming out of a monstrous lion’s snout that wasn’t suited to speaking.

           Shiro could no longer see his friends; his vision was full of pale gold fur and his own hands, latching on tightly so Lotor couldn’t shake or buck him off as he tried to climb. He heard Keith scream and grunt, then Lance yelling at Keith to get up, voice edged with distress. _Focus_. Pidge called out that she’d get to him. The tide was turning, as was inevitable. A lion-soul in warrior form had more strength, speed, and stamina than any single human. Even with five of them, they were only human, and most were inexperienced in fighting lion-souls. Shiro focused on trying to get his silver-armored arm around Lotor’s throat.

           Pidge shrieked. _Focus._

           There was the unholy screech of claws on metal and then a heavy THUD! _Focus._

           But climbing higher just brought him back in range of the claws’ reach. Lotor’s left hand grabbed hold of Shiro, plucked him off Lotor’s back, and tossed Shiro straight down against the ground. Shiro grunted as he hit and opened his eyes.

           Pidge was administering the same red potion to Keith, who was drinking it weakly. Both had bleeding gashes on them – Keith on his chest, Pidge on her back. Hunk was just coming back to consciousness, a gash rent across the center of his shield, and, as Shiro watched, Lance was swatted away into a tree. Shiro pushed himself back to his feet. _I won’t let this be the end. Not for them._

           “Snake!” he yelled up at Lotor to grab his attention. “You can deal with them after you’re done with me!” He brought his right arm up in front of him, hand flat as a blade. “And I’m not dead yet.”

           “Soon,” Lotor promised.

           There was a white blur from the corner of his vision, and Lotor was knocked to the ground with a snarl that was _not_ his.

           Shiro blinked. “Allura?!”

           Lotor kicked her off, but she landed on her paws, skidding to a halt in front of Shiro. She didn’t turn to look at him, just steadied herself like a lion carved of marble. Her roar was deafeningly loud, and Shiro instinctively took a step away from it.

           “Traitor,” Lotor hissed at her, but she growled, crouched, and leapt for his throat.

           Shiro saw his chance. He ran to Lance, the closest and most recently hurt. “Lance, you okay?”

           “Ugh,” he groaned, eyes fluttering open. “Did we win yet?”

           “No, but we’ve got more help.”

           “Oh, that’s nice,” he replied woozily.

           “Can you stand?” Shiro held his hand out for him.

           Lance took hold. “Not sure. Let’s find out.” Shiro pulled him up and helped steady him as he got to his feet. “Huh, look at that. I _can_ stand.”

           Hunk ran up. “Shiro?”

           “You guys should get to the horses and get out of here. Let us handle Lotor.”

           “Are you sure you can?” Hunk asked with a frown.

           “I’m sure she can, at any rate.”

           “Where’s Keith?” Lance asked.

           “And Pidge?” Hunk added.

           “We’re here.” Pidge and Keith leaned heavily on each other as they came over. Pidge’s trademark grin was more like a grimace. “Thank the Lawgiver for bonewort and clear eye!”

           “And strawberries,” Keith groaned.

           “Are you two going to be able to get to the horses?” Shiro asked them.

           “So long as we don’t have to do it quickly.”

           “I have bandages in my pack,” Hunk said. “Let me…”

           Shiro broke in, “No, keep your shield up for the time being. Just in case.”

           “Give me the bandages,” Pidge said. “I’ll patch up Keith, he can patch up me. Lance can keep trying to aim for the eyes.”

           “It’s honestly not easy,” Lance pouted. He went to get the bandages out of Hunk’s pack.

           “No, it’s not,” Shiro agreed. “More importantly, do _not_ hit Allura. Hunk, give them cover.” But then there were twin cries of pain and he whipped around.

           Lotor was still howling at the rake of claws that had gone across his right eye. And Allura was hitting the ground, the three stripes along her side already staining her coat red.

           Shiro ran. It was like his feet and legs weren’t under his control. He didn’t have a plan, just the anger behind his eyes and the blood pounding through his body. He couldn’t see anything but his target. When Allura sprang on Lotor and knocked him to the ground, Shiro didn’t even blink. It was like he’d known she’d do it, like it had been the intention all along.

           With a large lioness pinning him to the ground, there was nothing Lotor could do to prevent Shiro leaping onto him and punching him in his still-good eye. A lion-soul would’ve done more damage, but the silver plates on his fist meant that Lotor wasn’t going to be shrugging _this_ injury off anytime soon. He grunted in pain and Shiro just socked him again, in the same eye, over and over.

           “SHIRO! ALLURA!”

           He froze mid-motion and looked over to see Alfor and Elythe leading a crowd of lion-souls into the small clearing. Shiro thought his heart was going to claw its way right out of his chest, and maybe take his lungs with it from all the exertion. He eased down and clambered off. Allura backed away and laid down with as much dignity as she could, given her wounds.

           Lotor shrank back into his human form, looking small and broken (and no longer quite so pretty) in comparison. Shiro locked his gaze with Alfor as Elythe ran to Allura. “Punish me, not them,” he said. “But don’t let him get away with this.” He began unbuckling the silver plates on his arm. “We were on our way out. We were _leaving_ , and he attacked us.”

           There was an angry hiss behind him, and he turned his head calmly to see Allura’s ears flatten against her skull at the approaching Elythe. He shook his head and went over there, not waiting for Alfor’s answer. “Let me,” he said gently, dropping the armor to the ground.

           The dominant regarded him a moment, then nodded and backed off (treading carefully around the discarded silver armor). Shiro went over to Allura, who was licking her wounds gingerly.

           “‘Lura, stop that; we've got to get you treated,” he said gently.

           She growled at him in response.

           It didn’t stop his approach. “Yes, yes, I know. Big scary princess gonna take my head off. Let me see that.”

           She growled again, quieter this time. She didn’t lash out as he came in close.

           He kneeled next to her side, examining the wound carefully. The gashes were deep. “This isn't good. I know you heal faster than I do, but you should revert to human form.”

           She snarled at him once.

           He looked her in the eyes and dropped his voice to a whisper, knowing she could hear him regardless. “I know you feel weak. You feel vulnerable because you're hurt, so you don't want to be human again. But your body will heal faster if it's not maintaining this form. You'll be stronger again sooner.” He smiled at her. “Besides, when has being in human form ever made you LESS dangerous?”

           She considered that quietly and then started to shift back into her human form, her clothing – when it appeared again – in tatters where Lotor had slashed her. Shiro moved to her side to help her get into a comfortable sitting position against the nearest tree.

 

           “C'mon, princess, let's get that bandaged up so you don't bleed all over everything.”

           “STOP calling me that,” she groused. “I can still kick your ass right now.”

           “Yes, you can,” he agreed, tucking some of her hair behind an ear for her. “But you shouldn't.”

           Hunk brought over what was left of his bandages. Shiro thanked him and started tending to the wounds, apologizing whenever his actions wrenched a hiss of pain out of Allura.

           “She should be killed,” the voice of Haggar insisted behind them. Shiro ignored her. It wasn’t his place to address her on this matter. He focused on Allura and trusted in her pride.

           “You’re lucky Lotor’s still alive,” Elythe informed the other dominant. “So take him and get out of here before your luck changes.”

           “She attacks a member of our pride, and for what? To defend those who would hunt us down and slay us all?”

           “HAGGAR!” Alfor’s voice practically boomed through the forest. Shiro stopped his ministrations to look over his shoulder at the scene.

           The wretched old crone was blinking in surprise as Alfor strode toward her. “An arrangement had been reached. The Assembly was declared over. Safe passage was provided,” he gestured to the detritus of the disassembled traps. “And our pride put these humans under our protection. Lotor dishonored himself and your pride, and tried to make us liars into the bargain. He could have – and **_should have_** – stood down when Allura entered the fray. He did not, and he has injured one of our pride’s dominants – MY DAUGHTER.” Even from a human throat, his growl made people flinch. “I have every right to kill him myself for his actions. I will not, provided he is taken away from here NOW.”

           It was a sight to behold. Shiro’d never seen Alfor like this. The male dominant was largely a symbolic position until the pride was threatened. In war, his word alone could be law. This was not quite that dire, but Alfor stood every inch the protector he was in that moment. It was almost a compulsion to go and bow before him. Shiro didn’t move, even though staying rooted to this spot was taking all his strength.

           Haggar grumbled about it, but she did turn away first. She gestured to two of her pridemates and they came and picked up Lotor, carting him off. “We will not forget this, Alfor,” she promised.

           “Nor should you,” he told her. He glared at her back as she walked away.

           It was like a spell was broken. Shiro turned back to tending to Allura, who was grinning proudly. “That’s my father,” she said with a weak chuckle.

           “Don’t laugh and don’t talk,” he told her. “Not until I’m done bandaging you.”

           “More scars for my collection,” she said off-handedly, because of course she wouldn’t listen to him.

           “You shouldn’t have.”

           “I had to. You were going to get yourself and those cubs killed.”

           “BEASTS!” a voice cried out.

           “Earth give me strength,” Shiro groaned, dropping his head.

 

           Allura looked over to the voices. There was a group of humans running up, all brandishing silver weapons. She growled instinctively, but when she tried to get up, Shiro pushed her back down by her shoulders. “No, no. Let us handle this, okay?”

           She glanced at the new humans and then at Shiro’s little “pride.” Understanding dawned as she noticed the resemblance between some of the older and younger humans. “Nonsense. We need to make peace with these people. This is an excellent time. Help me up.”

           “You’re in no shape for…”

           She cut him off. “I am in perfectly fine shape to stand around and talk. If they intend anything else, there are a dozen lion-souls right there, including two more dominants! Now Help Me UP.”

           And he stopped fighting and obeyed her, thank heavens. The other humans were intervening already, and Allura shot her father a Look. He stared back for a long moment, and she knew he was still trying to protect the pride – and her. _I have to do this,_ she tried to convey to him with her eyes. He finally nodded and whispered something to Elythe. The two of them stood their ground and got everyone else to do the same. They would back her up, but not interfere yet. _Okay, and now to prove that I_ can _do this._

           Shiro’s friends were already arguing with the new arrivals. She wrenched her arm out of Shiro’s grasp and clenched her teeth against the pain of the action. “You can stand beside me,” she granted him, “but do NOT hold me up.”

           “Yes, dominant,” he replied, almost sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the humans. She was a little stiff, but she hoped it would come across as formal and distant. _Let them see my injury, and see that I am still powerful in spite of it. Neither I nor my people are to be trifled with._

           Some of the humans had their weapons at the ready, watching for the first sign of attack. The rest were trying (and failing) to pull Shiro’s “pride” away, though they cast the occasional glance her way despite their “guards.” Not a single human amongst them was unarmed.

           “Dad, Dad, you don’t understand…” Pidge was saying.

           “I understand well enough!”

           Allura couldn’t even begin to understand what was going on with Lance. He had three adults chattering angrily at him in a language she didn’t recognize.

           Hunk was on the receiving end of two lectures at once.

           “And if you ever do something so foolish again…!”

           “…and with the horses, no less! We found them and they were okay, thank all that’s good and great, but…”

           “You could have been killed! You would have broken all our hearts! Think of your sisters! Think of your poor mother!”

           “You would be dead, we would have lost our son, AND we’d be stranded with no horses! How much more devastation were you intending to wreak upon our household?!”

           Keith and his father were exchanging sullen glares. Allura thought that, of all of them, Keith looked least like the parent that had shown up to claim him. There were similarities, of course, but… _Huh. He must take more after his mother._ But since his father was the only one here, she couldn’t judge.

           She walked up (still well out of attack range from any weapons save the bows) and cleared her throat. “Hunters, I am one of the dominants of this pride,” she announced, “and, on behalf of my pride, I would like to formally apologize for any harm that has come to your offspring. It was not our intention. A guest of ours attacked them; he is our guest no longer. We had intended and promised safe passage for them. While it was not through our actions that they were attacked, it doesn’t change the fact that they were. How can we make this right with you?”

           They stared at her, all of them now with their hands on their weapons. Allura was practically _surrounded_ by silver, and it made her blood scream. She stood still and looked at all of them.

           “Dad, she _saved_ us,” Pidge piped up into the silence. “That other werelion was trying to kill us, and we were all fighting it together, and things were starting to get bad, and she came out of nowhere and protected us!”

           The rest of Shiro’s friends agreed, pleading her case to their parents. “Look at how wounded she got helping us!” Lance pointed out to his family members.

           “She’ll heal up before we know it,” the only man in that group responded. “It hardly matters to her.”

           Shiro moved as if he might interject, and Allura shot him a sidelong glare that froze him in place. _Don’t. You. DARE._ She would not let herself appear weak in front of the Hunters, even if Shiro thought it would help their case. He exhaled in annoyance but stayed quiet.

           She spoke up again. “We were hoping to make peace with the Hunters before this unfortunate incident. We want to make this right.”

           “Why should any of us trust you?” Keith’s presumed father spoke up.

           “Because they’re telling the truth,” a new voice declared.

           “MATT?!” That came from Pidge, Shiro, and the man who Allura assumed was Pidge’s father. And then a young human male – who looked much like Pidge – dropped down out of the trees.

           “I told you to stay at the inn, lad!” the older man scolded.

           “I heard,” he acknowledged, “and then I went out the window right away. I paid the smith for use of one of his draft horses. It wasn’t hard to track them once I was clear of Brookton.”

           “Wow,” Pidge said, “you were actually useful for something besides just reading! Too bad you couldn’t have helped us.”

           “With what weapons?” he responded. “What was I supposed to do, toss acorns?”

           Allura was gratified to see that Shiro was swallowing laughter the same as she was.

           “Stop that, the both of you,” her father said. “Matthew, you shouldn’t be here!”

           “Listen to me. I got here just before the fight started. There was a male werelion talking to Shiro and Pidge and them. I couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were saying. And then he went abomination form.”

           Matt went on to describe the whole fight, and Allura was keen to hear what she’d missed. She saw parents’ chests swell with pride at hearing their children’s exploits, and she glanced over at Shiro occasionally. He looked like a proud teacher himself. _It looks good on you._ But she reminded herself that that was for later. She could feel her skin knitting back together; it itched, but she refused to scratch at it in front of the humans.

           “And then she comes charging in,” Matt said, indicating her, “as a lion.”

           “Yes, why a _lion_?” Shiro asked her pointedly. “You should’ve been in warrior form.”

           “I didn’t want to risk your friends targeting me,” she explained. “I wanted to make sure there was a clear distinction.”

           “You put yourself at a disadvantage,” he chided her as if she didn’t know.

           “I did what I had to do. And it seems to have worked out perfectly fine.”

           “Perfectly?”

           She glared at him again before he could mention her wounds.

           He huffed and threw up his hands.

           “Explain yourself, Shiro,” Pidge’s father demanded. He sounded more hurt than angry to Allura’s ears, but she didn’t know him. The wind brought her the scents of fear and anger from the humans, understandably enough.

           So, Shiro explained himself. He started with a familiar tale – the death of his parents. Allura had heard it straight from her own mother years ago. He talked about being raised by the pride, and it confirmed for her everything she’d realized upon his return.

           “I loved everything about being here – it was my home, after all, or I thought it was – but I didn’t belong here. I was never going to belong here. I knew it, but I just didn’t want to face it. Of course, eventually, it was made crystal clear to me.” He cast her a sidelong glance, quickly, and she remembered again what she’d come out here to talk with him about. _Not right now._ He returned his attention to the humans. “So I left. And the rest you know.”

           “What were your intentions in bringing our children out here?” Keith’s father demanded.

           “We were trying to save your lives!” Keith responded hotly. Allura wondered if he had any other setting.

           “We were trying to save _everyone’s_ lives!” Lance said.

           “Please,” Shiro said, trying to forestall the fight. “I knew about the Assembly. I knew how many prides there’d be. I knew there would be deaths on both sides if this attack took place.” He sighed. “Finding out about my parents made me angry, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing the closest thing to family I _did_ have. And I couldn’t bear the thought of Pidge and Matt losing you, Sam. They deserve to have a father. And so do the cubs of the prides.”

           “What he’s not telling you,” Pidge spoke up, “is that he was going to go alone. I stopped him. I insisted on going with him.”

           “KATHERINE!”

           She ignored her father’s outburst. “And I insisted we bring the rest of the guys along, too. Because I knew they’d want the chance to stop this as well.” She lifted her chin. “It’s my fault they’re all here. Don’t blame Shiro for that. I told him I’d spill the beans on the weres raising him if he didn’t let me come with.”

           “You knew?” Matt asked her.

           “I figured it out.”

           “She’s very smart,” Shiro put in sheepishly. “And convincing.”

           Pidge’s father smiled, just a little. “Takes after her mother that way.”

           “It was going okay until that Lotor guy attacked,” Hunk told them all. “I mean, we got a pride to listen to us!” He gestured towards Allura.

           She figured it was time to jump back into this. “We owed Shiro a debt because of what my mother and some others had done. We listened to him. We want peace. We don’t want the death of more cubs – yours or ours. The other prides are still wary. But they will wait and see how things turn out between us.”

            She squared her shoulders, ignoring how it pulled on still-healing skin. “If we are played false in any way, the other prides will know about it. There is already a pride agitating for all-out war. Lotor was one of them. If things go badly between our pride and the humans, then war it shall be, and there shall be bloodshed such as none of us have ever known.”

           “So, no pressure,” Hunk’s father muttered. The parents cast an uneasy look amongst themselves and their fellow Hunters.

           And then Shiro dropped to his knees.

           Allura rushed to him, but when she put her hand on his back, he hissed and arched away from her touch.

           “The potion’s wearing off,” Pidge said. “It’s temporary; gets you back in the fight. It does help healing, but it can only do so much.”

           “Bonewort and clear eye?” her father asked.

           “Strawberry-flavored.”

           Allura was barely paying attention to the humans’ babblings. Shiro’s heartbeat was fast, even for what she had come to consider normal for him, and his face was taut with pain. “Let’s get you laying down.” She moved to pick him up.

           “DON’T,” he barked at her. “Not you.” She was shocked by the rejection until she saw him glance at her side.

           She rolled her eyes. “Shiro, let me help you.”

           “No,” her father’s voice said over her shoulder. She looked up at him. “Let _us_ help you. This pride owes you, not just because of your parents, but because of what you have done here on our behalf. You were injured by one of our guests. Please, allow us to help.”

           Shiro considered her father’s offer and then nodded. Allura moved out of the way so he could pick Shiro up. Elythe stepped forward as Alfor carried Shiro back towards camp.

           “We are willing to help care for your wounded children,” she offered. “We owe you that debt.”

           “We’re not going to just leave our kids with you,” the younger of the two females with Lance told her.

           Elythe nodded. “We can accommodate them and perhaps two or three more of you. We simply don’t have the room for all of you to stay unless you have your own tents.”

           “A moment, please,” Sam said, and the parents huddled up to discuss.

           Elythe turned to her. “Go with your father and Shiro. You need to rest as well.”

           “I’m fine.”

           “You will be soon,” Elythe corrected her. The older dominant clapped a hand to her shoulder. “And your mother would be so proud of you today.”

           “I keep hearing that lately.”

           “Only because it’s true. Go on. The humans are safe with me; you have my word.”

           Allura hesitated. But then Pidge caught her eye. The young human grinned crookedly at her and showed her a loose fist with the thumb sticking straight up. Allura had no idea what the gesture meant, but the grin was reassuring. She smiled and nodded once at her, then turned to follow her father back to their camp.

**~End of Chapter 3~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, everyone seems to have survived. So far. I'm sure that, going forward, everything will be sunshine and roses, peace and prosperity! You can trust me. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor's defeated, but our heroes aren't out of the woods yet. Can peace between the Hunters and the prides survive if Shiro doesn't?

The Assembly formally ended without further incident, though the Galran pride – with Lotor and Haggar and the rest – were given an icy send-off. They slunk away with the glares of all the prides on their backs – or so Shiro was told.

            He hurt all over, but his back was the worst. The pride was at a bit of a loss on how to help him; most of them healed up perfectly fine by just “sleeping it off,” after all. But then Sam Holt stepped up to help.

            Sam and Matt had demanded to stay, and, after some discussion, the other Hunters had left them to it. Shiro doubted it had really been that easy, but no one would talk about it with him. All he knew was that Sam and Matt had stayed with the guys and they were all here. And, thankfully, Sam knew more about how to heal humans than the pride did.

            He protested often – “I’m no doctor” – but in the next breath he’d brag about how he’d stitched up his own injuries, helped his wife create that potion Shiro still thought of as Strawberry Punch (in the mouth), and how he’d tended to every little scrape the kids had gotten into. All Shiro knew was that he’d drink what Sam gave him to drink, and he’d lay still while Sam applied whatever goop he was smearing on him. Beyond that, Shiro would eat and sleep as normal.

            Coran was _very_ interested in Sam’s methods, but Shiro often couldn’t remember what exactly it was Sam had been doing to help him. So eventually, he had to encourage Sam to go over things with Coran. When Sam hesitated to divulge his methods, Shiro told him, “He’s the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had.” The supposedly “fierce” Hunter had almost visibly melted at that, and Coran was present for every further step of medical treatment Shiro received thereafter.

            Coran and Sam weren’t the only visitors, of course. Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and Lance would come to his tent to chat with him (not usually all at the same time, thankfully). Matt would sit and take notes on the pride structure and “the cultural practices of the lion-souled peoples” as he called it. Shiro thought that was too much of a mouthful, but Matt seemed very pleased with himself, so he didn’t say anything.

            Alfor chatted amiably with him; enough that, if you didn’t know better, you’d think it was normal. But Shiro could feel himself being studied. _Am I a stranger to you now, Alfor?_ Shiro didn’t think he was being evaluated as a threat. _If Allura overlooked so much of me, how much more had her father not seen?_ So Shiro tolerated these re-evaluations, because he would rather be thrown out for who he really was than allowed to stay based on false assumptions.

            And, of course, Allura came to visit daily. Naturally, she’d recovered almost immediately. She had a rake of scars along her side now, but she was otherwise perfectly fine after some food and rest. She fussed over him at first, but as he started to mend, it was easy to slip back into their old habits. She’d chide him for being a slug-a-bed, he’d ask if a dominant had better things to do than mock the wounded, and they’d get into a verbal play fight before settling down into chatting.

            Sam and Allura seemed to be the primary agents in the negotiations, with the guys and the other dominants chiming in occasionally. Shiro was surprised there hadn’t been an outright fight yet, but, if there had been, no one would tell him so. He was also a little surprised they were letting Allura take point, but from the amount of whining she did about her father practically breathing down her neck during their peace talks with the humans, it seemed like she wasn’t entirely off her “new dominant” leash yet.

            And, just as Matt wanted to learn about the lion-souls, Allura wanted to learn about the humans. Shiro told her about what he’d experienced and learned those few days with them, but that wasn’t much. Eventually, as he’d connected Sam and Coran, he got Allura and Matt to talk with each other, even if only in his presence. Sometimes, he’d have to “translate” for one or the other of them, when a concept was too strange for one of them. But he liked it. It felt like he was helping foster understanding between them, and that was exactly what he’d wanted. He also didn’t feel like so much of a useless lump.

            And he got to learn a lot, too. About the humans and their society, yes, but also about the pride. The cubs all came to visit him once, and practically drowned him in berries and nuts they’d gathered for him. Elythe came to chat a couple of times. Romelle stopped in to chit-chat and get his opinion on whether she should stop flirting with Hunk, because he was getting redder and redder all the time and she was worried she was breaking him. (She’d started out flirting with Lance, but apparently that had made Keith upset and Lance was basically ignoring her now.)

            The real surprise was Dagha. Not so much that she’d come to visit – though not the oldest of the dominants, she was definitely the most maternal of them – but in what she said to him. “I know that you’ve felt like you don’t belong here with us. I’m not saying that your feelings are wrong or anything like that. But even if you aren’t lion-souled, you have always been part of our pride. I am sorry that you ever felt left out, excluded, or inferior.”

            “But I _am_ inferior,” he insisted.

            She shook her head and jerked her chin at the tea she’d brought him (on Sam’s instructions, apparently). He dutifully took a drink as she continued, “You aren’t. You simply don’t have a lion soul. That’s all.”

            He frowned. “Isn’t that the same thing? If I’m not lion-souled, what good am I to anyone here?”

            She tsked at him. “You aren’t very good at flying either, but then you’re not a bird. You can’t make honey worth a damn, but then you’re not a bee.” She patted his hand gently. “You don’t have to be one of us to be worthy. You just have to be your best version of you.”

            Those words rattled through his mind and shook his heart when he should be sleeping. They whispered him off to sleep when he couldn’t stay awake a moment longer and they greeted him again with the dawn. They kept him going even when it hurt to walk at first, when he was slow and stiff from too much time laying down. They pushed him on towards the dominants’ meeting tent, to take his proper place in the talks. And he took the time to thank Dagha quietly for them, when he had the chance.

 

 

            Allura ducked easily and brought up her hand, flat as a shield, to push him back. Shiro barely dodged it, dropping to try to sweep her legs out from under her. She jumped.

            Honestly, she was a little surprised he’d asked to spar with her. Not because it was unusual, but because, of all the things to do once he was fully recovered, he wanted to _fight_? Not that it was really fighting, not for them.

            He was still a little stiff in places, not quite as fluid or quick as she was used to (for him, anyway). But he was smiling as he blocked her attempted windpipe strike. She grinned back as she whirled away from his “surprise” gut punch.

            They still had to talk, as Romelle had insisted. But the peace talks and Shiro’s recovery had taken priority. Her cousin couldn’t fault her on that, and Allura had promised she’d talk with him as soon as she could. She still wanted things to be clear between them, now more than ever.

            She had official dominant business to discuss with him as well, so she’d been expecting to chat with him, but instead they were back to their little dance. She’d been annoyed at first, but, well, she wasn’t really in the mood to tell him no. Their last spar had ended so badly; she wanted this one to go better.

            Of course, the end result was never in question. He was no match for her on his best day, and after a week and a half in bed, this was far from his best. She took him to the ground for an all-too-easy pin.

            She grinned down at him beneath her. “I win. As usual.”

            “As usual,” he admitted breathlessly.

            “You did well,” she informed the vanquished. “But you must know you have no chance of ever beating me.”

            “I know.”

            She leaned down just a little more towards him. “Then why do you keep sparring with me?”

            He sucked in his breath and licked his lips, but didn’t take his eyes from hers. “You know why.”

            She didn’t deny it, just leaned in a little closer still. “Tell me.”

            His chest heaved as he tried to scrape his breath together. “I… I want to prove myself. To you.”

            She narrowed her eyes, bringing her lips within a breath of his. “Why?”

            Their gazes were still locked. She just waited in silent expectation, and he, at last, relented. “I love you, Allura.”

            Her grin softened into a smile. His blush was visible for just a moment before she closed her eyes and the distance between them. It was a quick kiss, as a test. Mother had always told her, _“You’ll know love by its kisses, my dear.”_ When she had pressed for more information, she had gotten only laughter and a hair tousle and the phrase guaranteed to infuriate cubs everywhere: “ _You’ll understand when you’re older.”_

            She understood now. It was as inevitable as the outcome of every sparring match they had. Even in such a brief kiss, there was a spark like lightning through her veins that both calmed and excited her.

            She pulled away and opened her eyes. The look on Shiro’s face must’ve been the same as hers, _it must have been_ , because she just had this overwhelming sense of Agreement, of Yes, of Absolutely, and, above all else, _AGAIN_.

            He pulled her back down, or, at least, she thought he did. When had she released his hands? Even free, he shouldn’t have been strong enough to, and certainly should not have _dared_ to do it, but he did, or she let him. She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter in any case. She gave fierce vent to her feelings, crushing his lips beneath hers, and was pleased to feel him respond in kind. He combed his fingers into her hair, just behind her ears, then slid them down her back so he could wrap her up in his arms. He was so warm underneath her, and she wanted to purr despite being in human form.

            And then she broke from his lips to shriek as he tickled her sides; she nearly fell off of him in her attempt to flee. “KNAVE!” she declared.

            He rolled over to pin her. “Who’s winning now?”

            “Pretty sure I am still,” she said, trying to catch her breath. He looked good – _very_ good – smiling roguishly from atop her. She wanted to pull him down to kiss him again, but… “We have things to discuss, you and I.”

            “Do we?” he asked mischievously.

            “Don’t we?” she replied archly. He sat back, rocking onto his heels to stand before he offered a hand to help her up. She stood on her own, of course. “Don’t. You can’t pull me up, and, even if you could, you’re still healing.”

            “I had to offer, at least.”

            “You’re a good male, Shiro. A good… man.” It was odd to use the human term for him, but it made him smile. “And I-I’m not really sure where to start now. There’s so much to say.”

            “Let’s start with: you kissed me,” he pointed out.

            “I still would be kissing you, but then you tickled me,” she grumbled, but then cleared her throat. “And yes, I kissed you. Because you finally said it and because,” she had to pause to take a breath but refused to look anywhere but directly into his eyes when she, at last, admitted, “I love you, too.”

            But he just shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”

            She gaped at his nonchalance. “What do you mean, ‘you know’?”

            “We grew up together, ‘Lura. We’ve been best friends our whole lives. I’ve never doubted that you cared for me.”

            She blinked at him and then sighed roughly. “No, you idiot. I LOVE you. The way you love me.”

            He was quiet a moment and then shook his head. “Don’t.”

            “What?” She cocked her head in confusion. “What do you mean ‘don’t’?”

            “Don’t say that just to…”

            She growled and grabbed hold of the front of his tunic and hauled him towards her. “I’m _not_. I am not ‘just saying’ anything to make you feel better or to placate you. Have I _ever_ hidden behind false words?”

            “No, but you weren’t a dominant then. Politics is about compromise and little white lies to smooth things over. You were bound to learn it at some point.”

            She narrowed her eyes. “I. Love. You. Even though you’re pissing me off right now. I love you, Shiro, and I want you.” She brought her smirk back as she informed him, in no uncertain terms, “And I will have no one else for my mate.”

            That was what finally got through to him. He stared at her, eyes wide. “Mate? ME?” He studied her for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What does Alfor think of this?”

            She let go of him and looked away. “Ah, well, see, that’s a whole different thing to talk about.”

            “I knew it.”

            She looked back at him. “No, no, it’s not that. Father approves, and, even if he didn’t, my mate is my choice.”

            His brow furrowed. “Then… what…?”

            She took a breath and forced out all at once, “The dominants have all agreed that you can be turned.”

            He sucked in a breath and wouldn’t let it leave again.

            She pressed on. “It’s dangerous, Shiro. You could die; you know that?” He nodded, still staring at her. “But the decision was unanimous. If you want a lion soul, it’s yours.” She searched his eyes for something besides shock. He was still too stunned. “But I want you to know that you are my intended mate, regardless of whether you’re human or lion-souled. I don’t care _what_ you are, I care about _who_ you are. Don’t do this if the only reason is because you think you won’t be ‘worthy’ for me otherwise.”

            He licked his lips and, thank the stars, started breathing again. “I… Unanimous? Really?”

            She nodded once. “Even Father.”

            “Wow. I-I’m honored. Of course I’ll accept.”

            She frowned just a little. “Shiro…”

            He foresaw her objection (and correctly this time). “This isn’t just about you, Allura.”

            “I know. I know you’ve wanted this your entire life, and I want it for you, too, just so you’ll be happy.” She reached out and took one of his hands in both of her own. “But I don’t want to risk losing you. Not permanently. Not like this.”

            “It’s not just a question of my happiness, ‘Lura. I… I have to be the best version of myself. Dagha told me that. I’ve thought a lot about what that means for me.” His free hand tucked some of her hair behind one of her ears. “I’m so very, very grateful that you accept me as I am, but I’m not sure _I’ve_ ever accepted me for who I am.”

            It made her heart ache to hear him say something like that. “Well, you’re a dummy then,” she teased without much mirth.

            “I know. And it’ll take me some time to get used to the idea that I’m not inferior, but I’ll get there. With your help.” He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. “But this isn’t about my feeling inferior. Like you said, it isn’t about the who, but the what. Accepting _who_ I am can be done, but I can’t accept _what_ I am when it doesn’t feel right. It’s not just a matter of what I want; it’s something I need. I didn’t think I’d ever have it, but if I can, then I won’t turn it down. I _can’t_ turn it down.”

            She nodded. It was the answer she’d expected him to give. “Just so long as you know that I love you regardless.” He nodded, about to say something, but she cut him off with a finger to his lips. “There is one condition, however.”

            He waited until she pulled her finger away to ask, “What condition?”

            She forced a smile. “I have to be the one to turn you.”

            He arched a skeptical eyebrow. “The dominants set that condition, did they?”

            “ _I_ set it, because if you think I will let _anyone else_ bite you…”

            He laughed. “Okay, okay. I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it anyway.”

            She beamed. She was nervous and giddy and happy and scared all at the same time. She didn’t know what else to do, so she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He held her against him tightly as he kissed her back.

            When they needed to stop for air, she laid her forehead against his, unwilling to be any farther from him than necessary. The scent of him filled her nose, and it was almost bubbly with happiness. “You love me,” he said.

            “So much so that I was blind to the very idea that I would ever be without you,” she agreed. “I’m so sorry I took you for granted, that it took all of this to show me…”

            “We’ll have peace for our cubs because of all of this. So maybe I’ll forgive you.”

            She straightened up to glare at him in mock-outrage. “MAYBE you’ll forgive me?!”

            He just grinned at her. “Maybe,” he repeated with a nod.

            “Do I have to remind you who the dominant is here?”

            He looked around exaggeratedly. “Oh, I’m sorry, I… I didn’t realize there was a dominant about. Is she behind you, or…?”

            “YOU LITTLE…!” She tried to tackle him, but he darted out of the way and bolted for the trees.

            He was easy enough to run to ground, especially since he was still recovering. She brought him down, he rolled over to be face-up beneath her, and then kissed her again. She melted into the kiss until he grabbed some newly-fallen leaves and smashed them into her hair. She screamed in outrage, grabbed another pile of leaves and smooshed them into his face.

            By the time they walked back into camp, they both had bits of leaves and pine needles stuck in their hair and all over their clothes. They were holding hands as they laughed and picked occasional leaf bits off of each other.

            “I thought you had ‘official business’ to discuss with him?” Romelle asked as they neared her.

            Allura just smiled up at Shiro innocently. In response, he grinned and pulled out a bundle of leaves they had been saving. Romelle’s eyes went wide as Allura darted around to grab hold of her as Shiro rubbed drying leaves and the possible bugs that went along with them into her hair. Their victim shrieked in outrage.

            “Run for your life, beloved! I’ll keep her from coming after you!” Allura cried out melodramatically. Shiro duly bolted towards the relative safety of his tent.

            “Yeah, you’d better ru-… wait, what was that?” Romelle asked in shock.

            Allura grinned and flicked a single acorn at Romelle’s forehead, then ran off laughing in the other direction to distract the pride’s fiercest huntress from her prey.

 

 

            “You aren’t seriously going to go through with this, are you?” Sam asked Shiro. He was having trouble pinning down exactly what he thought about this, and he hoped that his friends’ son was teasing them. _Maybe it’s a test to see how accepting we are of the idea, given all this peace treaty business we’re going through?_

            Shiro frowned at him. “Yes, I am.” He sounded very certain, and Sam gave up that thin tendril of hope.

            “Why? Just to get with that chick you’re so hot for?” Keith asked.

            Shiro sighed. “No. We talked about this, Keith. I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be human. I’ve _never_ felt like I was supposed to be human. This is always what I was supposed to be.”

            “But you _are_ human,” Hunk pointed out.

            “And you were supposed to be a Hunter,” Sam said archly. “Like your parents. That’s what they would have wanted for you.”

            “I know that, Sam, but that’s not how things worked out.”

            “Because of the werelions. Because of _these specific_ werelions,” Sam reminded him.

            “They made a mistake.”

            “They killed your parents!”

            “And how many lion-souls have you killed, Sam?” Shiro shot back at him. “How many died who didn’t have to because you mistakenly believed us all to be vicious beasts?”

            “‘Us,’” Keith muttered. “You’re not one of them yet.”

            “Yes, I am. I always have been. I tried to be human…”

            “For like a week!” Lance pointed out. “That’s hardly any time at all.”

            “I have to do this,” Shiro insisted. “It’s my decision, not any of yours. But I would like you all to be there for it.”

            Matt perked up even as the others looked aghast. “We’ll get to see you turn into a werelion?”

            Sam normally applauded his son’s inquisitive nature but there were times he wondered where this morbid fascination for the weres came from.

            “Not immediately. It takes time.” Shiro was quiet a moment. “Allura will bite me about here,” he indicated the spot where his neck met his right shoulder, “when she’s in her warrior form. And please do _not_ call it ‘abomination form’ around the prides?” When there was a mutter of more-or-less agreement, Shiro continued, “That will transfer part of her lion soul into me. But the actual change will take time.”

            “How long?” Pidge asked.

            “A few days, give or take? I’ll probably be bed-ridden during that time.”

            “Again?” Keith protested. “We just got you well!”

            Shiro looked at the cookfire. “There… is a chance I could die. My body might not be able to handle the transformation.”

            “Shiro, you shouldn’t do this,” Sam insisted again. “Your parents would want you to live and be happy.”

            “He has to because he’s in love with Allura,” Lance told him.

            “No, I have to because it’s what I’m meant to be. I can _feel_ it in me, like I’m… like I’ve always been half a person. Incomplete.” His gaze swept across them all. “This will complete me.”

            “Or kill you,” Hunk protested. “I hope she’s worth it.”

            “She would be, but that’s irrelevant. She said,” and a soft little smile bloomed on his face, “that she wouldn’t have anyone else for her mate, whether I was human or not.”

            Sam tried to smother his own smile in response. _Dammit, I’m supposed to be angry and upset and worried here!_ And he was, but it was good to see and hear his friends’ son like that: so happy, so in love. _Reminds me of the way Kenichi would speak of Yumiko sometimes, when she wasn’t around to overhear and tease him for being mushy._

            “So you’re doing this for yourself, not for her,” Pidge clarified.

            Shiro nodded, his smile fading back into his more serious expression. “Yes. She doesn’t want me to do it either, actually. She’s afraid of losing me.”

            “If she doesn’t want you to do it, why is she the one biting you?” Matt asked.

            Shiro blushed suddenly. “Well, she… doesn’t want anyone else to bite me.” He cleared his throat.

            Sam glanced at the kids but they all seemed as confused as he was.

            “Why not?” Lance asked.

            Shiro’s blush got worse. “In the prides, biting someone in front of witnesses is normally how you claim them as mate.” He hastened to add, “That’s not what this is! This is just to turn me; all of the joining traditions will be done later.”

            They were quiet a moment. “So… she’s jealous,” Lance summed up.

            “No,” Shiro said quickly.

            “She’s biting him so she doesn’t _have_ to be jealous,” Hunk suggested.

            “Basically…” Shiro hemmed, blush starting to fade.

            “So, do werelio-… lion-souls,” Matt corrected himself, “always turn their human mates then?”

            “As far as I know, they don’t generally take human mates,” Shiro reminded him. “And no one’s been turned in this pride for generations. No one alive has even seen it done, let alone participated in it.”

            “Really?” Sam found that hard to believe. He didn’t doubt Shiro, but it still seemed strange to him.

            Shiro just shrugged. “In this pride, yes. I don’t know how other prides do it, but the way I was raised, sharing a lion soul is a gift, not the curse you make it out to be. It’s an honor, and not bestowed lightly. We also believe that we are born as we are for a reason; we don’t want to tamper with Nature.”

            “But they’re willing to turn you anyway?” Keith asked. “Isn’t that ‘tampering with Nature?’”

            “I don’t believe so. Dagha told me that it’s possible an intended lion-soul could be born without the lion part. It’s possible that I was always meant to be lion-souled.”

            “Nature can make mistakes, huh?” Lance asked.

            “Can’t everybody?” Shiro countered.

            Sam tried to steer things back on track. “So, this ceremony you want us present for…?”

            “Oh, yes, sorry. It’s all written down in the pride’s records, thankfully. Allura will say some ritualized things – she’s off memorizing her bits now – and I have ritualized responses to them. The whole pride will be there to witness it as she shifts to her warrior form and shares part of her soul with me through the bite.”

            “Won’t that hurt?” Hunk asked.

            “A lot,” Shiro agreed, as if pain wasn’t something to worry about. “After that, I’ll be taken back to my tent to rest, and everyone else gets to feast.”

            “We’re all going to party while you’re possibly dying?!” Pidge asked.

            “It’s customary to check up on the new lion-soul throughout the night. And that’s actually another reason I’d like you all to stay.” Shiro looked at him. “Sam, you were such a help getting me through after the fight. This won’t be quite the same, and the pride has some treatments that are supposed to help sustain someone going through the change, but if you could be of any additional help, I’d appreciate it.”

            Sam nodded grimly. “I don’t like it, but I can’t change your mind. And I can’t do anything to stop it either. I’d rather stay and do what I can to help you survive than just abandon you.”

            “Thank you. I know I’ve asked a lot of you already, and I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

            “I’d say you’re already doing that, lad,” Sam told him. “It’s hard for me to trust the weres after an entire life spent hating and fighting them, but they seem good people – these ones, at least. And as much as it makes me proud to know my kids want to follow in my footsteps…”

            “…I’d rather not have to avenge your death, Dad,” Pidge interrupted, hugging him fiercely.

            He smiled down at her, hugging her back. “Well, hopefully this way you won’t have to.” He looked back over to Shiro. “And thank you for that. I know I can be a headache to deal with in the negotiations sometimes, while we’re on the subject.”

            Shiro cleared his throat. “I… wouldn’t say a ‘headache’…” But he smiled. “You’re trying to be the sole advocate for a very diverse group of people. And, frankly, if you just rolled over and gave in right away, they wouldn’t respect you as much as they do.”

            “They respect Dad?” Matt asked, that trademark Holt grin starting to creep across his face.

            “They respect all of you,” he corrected. “For putting yourselves at risk for the sake of peace. For defending yourselves without killing Lotor. For standing up for your people while still hearing us out. You’ve shown them bravery, measured strength, loyalty, and respect. The pride believes in giving back what they receive.”

            Sam did smile now, extremely proud of his kids and their friends. They were all smiling, even Keith, and he wasn’t entirely sure the kid knew how before that moment. And Shiro eased down.

            “It means a lot to me to know that you’ll all be there for the most important moment of my life. You are my friends, and I am grateful to know you all. None of this would have been possible without you.”

            “That’s not true,” Keith protested.

            “Yes, it is. I would’ve just kept running if Sam hadn’t found me. I would’ve gone back to try to convince the prides on my own without Pidge. I would never have survived Lotor’s attack without all of you. And the fragile peace might’ve been broken entirely without Matt’s testimony.

            “We did this. All of us, together.” Shiro smiled. “We fought together and we won together. I can never thank you enough.”

            Sam felt moved to say something. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was until it came out. “I don’t know what your parents would think about you becoming a werelion. I don’t know whether they’d approve of your marry-… er, mating with one. I don’t even know what they’d think about this peace deal we’re hammering out. But I know they’d be proud of you for standing up for what you believe in, for not backing down from your convictions, and for finding a way to do what you believe is right. And I’m sure that if they could be here for your big moment, in person or in spirit, they would be.”

            Shiro’s smile widened, and his eyes shimmered in the firelight. “Thank you, Sam.”

 

 

            The weather had finally turned against them. It was a cold and wet day, and Allura frowned at the dripping rain as if it had personally disappointed her. “I was hoping everything would be perfect,” she sighed.

            “It will be,” Shiro said, standing next to her at the tent entrance. She turned to see him smiling at her. “You’re going to share part of your lion soul with me, Allura. This is something I didn’t dare dream of, and now it’s happening. I don’t care what the weather’s like.”

            She snorted a little. “You honestly didn’t dream of _any_ of this?”

            He blushed faintly. “Not of being turned, anyway.”

            She smiled as she sidled up to him, sliding her arms around his neck. “What part _did_ you dream of then?”

            He was smiling back as he answered without words, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her. This was the best way she could think of to banish the damp chill that had settled over the camp.

            But there was a sudden throat clearing, and one she was all too familiar with. “You two can save that for after the joining ceremony,” her father teased as he walked up to them. His voice was warm and, when she broke away to look over at him, he was smirking. “Or whenever he feels up to it again, at any rate. My understanding is it’ll be a bit before you two get back to misbehaving.”

            Allura pouted. “Kissing isn’t ‘misbehaving.’”

            “And Allura’s never needed my help to get into trouble,” Shiro chimed in.

            “Hey!” She whapped him on his arm and he laughed. “I never needed your help for _anything_ , thank you very much! It was just always more fun with company, that’s all.”

            Father’s smirk dissolved into a smile. “Everyone’s gathered, including Shiro’s friends. We’re all anxious to get started.”

            “To get to the partying,” she corrected.

            Her father didn’t deny it. “I have a bet with Ferrend to see to.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: another drinking contest?”

            Shiro cleared his throat. “Coran’s okay with you getting sloshed? He’s always the one who has to drag you back to the tent when you’re too drunk to even stagger.”

            Her father shrugged. “He said he’s okay with it so long as I win this time.”

            Allura huffed and pointed at Shiro. “DO NOT take my father as an example of proper male lion-soul behavior. I will not suffer my mate getting drunk at every opportunity.”

            “It’s not _every_ opportunity!” her father protested. “You have to let your mate have some fun _sometimes_.”

            “Turning first,” Shiro interrupted. “Allura and I will work out the details of our union once I’m well past the ‘not about to die’ stage.”

            She whirled on him. “You are NOT ALLOWED to die, do you hear me? I am a dominant, and your best friend, and your soon-to-be mate, so you will listen and obey.”

            He arched an eyebrow. “Have I ever listened to you?”

            “Only when it would get you into trouble,” she duly replied.

            He grinned for just a second before he brushed his fingers across her cheek and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “I’ll do my best.”

            “Come along, then,” Father bade them. “Ceremony and rest for you, lad; ceremony and celebration for the rest of us.”

            Allura grabbed another quick kiss from Shiro’s lips to fortify her before stepping out into the cold drizzle. Shiro just chuckled and followed after her.

            Her stomach churned and she bit her lip for a second before schooling her face into what she thought of as her Dominant Mask. _I am a dominant of the Altean pride,_ she reminded herself as they headed for the gathering tent. _I am in control. I have the power. And nothing will happen to Shiro except that he will finally have a lion soul. Part of mine, in fact. He **will not** die._

            Because she didn’t think she could handle it if he did. Part of her knew she would figure out how to move on past his death, but she couldn’t think of how. She didn’t want to think of how, or of it even being necessary.

            In one sense, she couldn’t stand Shiro dying because it felt like he’d just gotten here. Realizing her feelings for him was still so new, so wonderful, and she didn’t want to lose this so soon. But, in another sense, they’d been together for most of their lives. He was only a few months older than she was. They’d grown up together, and even if she hadn’t recognized it for what it was, the truth was she’d loved him for a very long time. If nothing else, he was her most constant, lifelong companion. He was her best friend.

            Just being without him for a couple of weeks had upset her so badly. What if she had to face the rest of her life without him? No way to get him back, ever. Just… gone.

            She squared her shoulders as her father held the tent flap for her. _There is no going back. There is only forward. And Shiro will be my mate and he **won’t** die and everything is going to be fine._ She focused everything she had into willing that to be true.

            Everyone was gathered in a semi-circle inside the tent to watch. Some were sitting, some were standing, but everyone was crowded in for the event. Shiro’s pride (she was never going to stop thinking of them that way) was front and center. The dominants were standing in the back.

            She walked to nearly the very center of the tent – that was Shiro’s position, after all – and waited for her father to make his way through the crowd to stand with the other dominants. Shiro was in front of her, facing the pride. She leaned in and all but purred in his ear, “Nervous?”

            “Yes, and your doing that isn't helping,” he muttered under his breath.

            She grinned and, seeing her father take his place, cleared her throat. “Pridemates – and honored guests – we are gathered to welcome Shiro into our pride. Here, now, on this day, he will take the first steps to become truly one of us, as he was always meant to be.” That last part wasn’t technically in the script she’d read, but she’d added it in because, well, it was the truth. She didn’t want to just mouth empty lines; she wanted this to be genuine and memorable. _It could be the last memory of Shiro’s life_. He deserved more than rote recitation.

            He was pulling his tunic off as she spoke, tugging it free of the wrap around his waist. He had to make sure there was no clothing in her way, after all.

            They’d gone over all of this. She’d practiced this all with Shiro and the dominants. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and she put her hands on his now bare shoulders, still addressing those around them. “He knows our ways. He knows us, and we all know him. What more can we ask of him than he has already done for us, brokering this peace with the Hunters, guaranteeing our safety for generations to come?” She smiled at Sam Holt and Shiro’s pride, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Technically speaking, the peace deal wasn’t done yet, but they were finishing up the last details. _Close enough._

            “Are you ready to accept the responsibility and privilege of joining our pride, Shiro?”

            Shiro nodded at first. She nudged him a little to remind him that he was supposed to speak. He cleared his throat, his whole being doused with the scent of nervous excitement – stark, tangy, and sharp. But his voice was steady as he duly intoned, “Yes, I am ready.”

            “Will you bear the pride’s burdens as your own, share with us in not only our joy but also our suffering?”

            “Yes, I will. I will do nothing that dishonors this pride. If I break this oath, my life here is forfeit. I know and accept this.” That was another addition; the ancient script had not included the word “here,” and all the dominants had agreed that death need not be the only punishment for dishonor. Perhaps back when the scroll had been written it was, but the ways had changed, and exile was more common. Adding the single word gave the option to cast him out rather than kill him.

            Not that it would ever come to that. Not with Shiro. But he had refused to say anything that wasn’t entirely true. He wanted this to be as meaningful as she did. She knew that he was making this vow with his entire heart and soul, with every fiber of his being.

            She smiled as she started to shift into her warrior form. White fur replaced her clothing, and she grew until her head almost hit the top of the tent. The humans’ eyes widened and the scent of fear picked up from all of them, including Shiro. But she knew he was just preparing for the bite, for the pain that she, unfortunately, would have to inflict upon him. This was the hardest part of the entire ritual for her, partly because she had to hurt him – potentially lethally – and partly because it was hard to form human words with a leonine snout. Her voice was deeper like this, and her words were accompanied by a rumbling growl-y sound. Her smile was more of a bared-tooth grin.

            “Then welcome to the pride, Shiro. You are one of us now.” And then she went off-script entirely to add, “And you are MINE.”

            She didn’t give Shiro time to register any surprise at her impromptu addition before her fangs sank into his flesh, right where his neck met his shoulder. He cried out once and then bit back his pain. His hands were fists at his sides, left hand clutching tightly to his removed top layers of clothing, but he was silent.

            She greeted the murmur of the pride (and the shock of the humans) with a glare, eyes fierce with her claim as she focused her gaze on the other females. Shiro's blood was in her mouth, hot and coppery and rich. She shouldn't swallow it, but she could hardly help it. She liked it though: one more way to have him inside her, to have him be part of her as much as she would now be part of him as the one who had turned him. One more exchange between them, one more thing they would share. She was pleased that he hadn't screamed more than once, and that he wasn’t thrashing or pulling away. He was demonstrating the strength the pride expected of him... and, most importantly to her, he was accepting her claim of him. The other females looked away, accepting her claim as well. The males just nodded; they never really had a choice in the matter anyway. Her father had one eyebrow arched and a smirk on his face. Coran seemed to be holding in happy tears.

            She began to fade back into her human form, barely able to kiss the vicious bite mark she’d left on him before she became shorter than he was again. He was trembling in restraint, muscles taut. Her nose was full of his normal scent mixed with blood and pain and a fierce pride in himself that he’d made it through. She licked her lips to get the last drops of his blood off of them and looked at Elythe.

            She was grinning. “Welcome to the pride, Shiro.”

            He swallowed hard and managed, “Thank you, Dominant.”

            This was greeted by a chorus of cheers and welcoming shouts, and Allura noticed parents restraining their cubs from running up to him. _A single cub would probably knock him over right now._ She walked up to stand next to him and took his right hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. He looked pale. She tugged just a little, just once, to remind him of the last thing he had to do. He was smiling stiffly at everyone, tear tracks on his cheeks, but he – hesitantly – began to walk out of the tent. She matched her stride to his and let the sounds of celebration fade.

            She had to yank him to a stop when he started going the wrong way. “What?” he asked. “My tent’s over here.”

            “ _OUR_ tent is over this way,” she told him archly.

            He studied her for a moment, standing there in the cold and the mud. Rain washed blood down his chest and arm. “It’s not our tent yet. And I can’t…”

            She held up her other hand to forestall more of his protest. “I know, I know. Only half the joining is done, and you have to focus on surviving the next few days. Which You Will,” she told him sternly, as if he had any control over it. “But I want to be able to take care of my mate. And I can’t do that in that cramped little thing you call a tent.” She stepped up to him to look him dead in the eyes. “You will be my mate. They all know it now. Let me look after you.”

            He smiled and started to nod and then stumbled. She caught him and picked him up.

            “Sorry,” he grimaced. “I… I know I need to be strong, but…”

            “This is faster anyway,” she told him, carrying him towards her – soon-to-be _their_ – tent. “You shouldn’t stay out in the rain too long.”

            “I need to walk there on my own,” he protested.

            “You needed to walk out of the pride’s view on your own. There’s nothing that says I can’t carry you the rest of the way.”

            He gave up fighting, letting his head fall against her shoulder. “Thank you, ‘Lura.”

            She smiled. “Save your energy for the transformation.”

            “I will. I am. But… what was that?”

            “Hmm?” she asked brightly, all innocence and smiles. “What was what?”

            “That last part was _not_ in the script.”

            “It should be fairly obvious what it was.” She pushed past the flaps of her tent and moved to lay him down. She’d made sure her cushions and blankets were neat and clean and ready to receive him.

            “Wait, you actually made your bed? For me?” he teased weakly. “I’m honored.” He released his death grip on his shirt and tunic as she eased him down.

            “Oh, shut up and hold still. I need to bandage the bite.” She turned to get some clean cloth. “Try not to bleed all over everything.”

            “But why now? You know I can’t hold up my half of the ceremony at the moment. Are you really so impatient?”

            “Shut up,” she told him as she brought the cloth over. “I thought you would applaud my efficiency.”

            “Impatience,” he maintained.

            She set about bandaging him. “ _Efficiency_. We already had the entire pride gathered, as well as your friends. Why bite you more than once?”

            “Well, the initial claim bite doesn’t usually have to be that deep.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know. It still seemed a perfect moment. Why waste it?”

            “You could have warned me.”

            “Where would be the fun in that?” She smirked and leaned down to kiss him. Did he feel warmer already, or was that her imagination? “Besides, I love you. I have chosen you as my mate. I wanted it made as clear as possible to the entire pride. No one else can have you but me.”

            When she straightened up, his face was a bit redder. Blushing or the beginning of the expected fever the scrolls had warned them of? “Say that one part again.”

            She feigned ignorance as she worked. “Which part?”

            “You know which part,” he charged.

            She pressed the cloth against the wound; he winced a little, but she just laid down next to him, keeping pressure on it. “I love you, Shiro.”

            He smiled woozily at her. “That’s going to be what gets me through the next few days.”

            “I’ll be right beside you,” she promised. She kissed his cheek. “Get some rest.”

            He tried to settle himself some, hissing in pain as he moved his shoulder. “I’ll try.”

            “Well, you can’t do much else right now,” she pointed out.

            “True,” he granted her.

            “What does it feel like?”

            “Like you bit me.”

            “Ha ha. Be serious.”

            “I am. Right now, it just hurts.”

            She pouted. “That’s it? Nothing else?”

            “‘Lura,” he sighed, “it’s not immediate. I likely won’t start feeling the effects for a few hours yet.”

            She huffed. “How do you know?”

            “I read the scroll.”

            She pushed herself up, accidentally causing him to grunt in pain as she pressed more on his wound. “Oops, sorry. But… they let you read it? I thought Elythe and Dagha just told you what you were expected to say.”

            “They did. I never said they _let_ me read it.”

            “Shiro!”

            He grinned. “I memorized it ages ago.”

            She blinked. “What? Really?” She thwapped him on his left arm. “And you never told me?!”

            “Ow, hey, careful! I’m wounded!” But he hadn’t really been hurt by the light tap she’d given him. “It’s all I’ve wanted for most of my life! Did you really think I wouldn’t find a way to learn as much as I could about it?”

            “But you never told me you did it, you little sneak!” She pouted at him.

            “I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t slip and tell your mother or father. I was worried they’d…”

            She stopped her pretend-sadness and guessed at the end of his sentence. “Throw you out?”

            He nodded. “Or kill me.”

            “They would never have…!”

            “I know that _now_ , sure, but back then I was just a cub. The scrolls all said Death, remember? I thought it was the only punishment. And the best I could really hope for was that they ‘took pity’ on me and exiled me. I didn’t want to leave the only home I knew. And I didn’t want to leave you. We’d made our promises by then.”

            “I would have gone with you,” she informed him.

            He shook his head. “All the more reason. You were already planning to be a dominant when you grew up. You wanted it so badly, and you actually _had_ parents.” He frowned. “I didn’t want to take you away from that, and I’d promised not to leave you, so I had to keep it a secret from you.” He looked up at her again. “I’m sorry.”

            She settled in next to him again. “Apology accepted. Are there any more secrets I need to know about?”

            He was quiet for a moment. “It wasn’t Romelle who hid your doll up the tree.”

            “I suspected it wasn’t.”

            “And I may have started the rumor that you were an easy target.”

            “I KNEW IT!” she declared.

            He grinned at her. “I knew it would get you more fights. No one wanted to pick on the dominants’ daughter, but you needed to spar with someone who was… who wasn’t me.”

            She frowned at his correction, but at least he’d caught it in time before he disparaged himself again. “Well, I suppose I should thank you for that then.”

            “Not that you will.” She didn’t deign to respond to that, so he continued, “And… I, um… might have watched you bathe a couple of times.” He was _definitely_ blushing now.

            “Oh, is that all? I watched you bathe at least three times.”

            “Three?! Are you serious?”

            She nodded. “Very. The first time was an accident. Sort of.”

            “Sort of?”

            “Well, I knew you were bathing; I intended to pelt you with acorns. But the sun was just coming up and you were,” she took a deep breath and pushed it out again, reliving the memory, “radiant. It was the first time I ever thought of you that way, and I just couldn’t…”

            “What way?”

            “You know. _That_ way.”

            “No, I don’t know, actually.”

            “Yes, you do!”

            “No, I don’t!” But he was grinning. “What way?”

            She felt like _she’d_ caught a fever now. And maybe she had, with all the rain today. “It was the first time I ever thought of you as a potential bedmate, okay? It was like you grew up all at once, almost like you were a stranger, except you _weren’t_ at the same time, and I just… left.”

            “Is that when you wound up throwing all those acorns at Romelle?”

            “Well, I’d taken all the trouble to gather them,” she pointed out defensively. “It would’ve been a shame to waste them.”

            He laughed and then grunted, breath hissing out. “Okay, no more laughing for me right now.”

            “SLEEP,” she insisted.

            “As you wish, my love. But only because I trust you to take care of me. This is your fault, after all.”

            “MY fault?!”

            “You bit me!” He sounded like he was surprised and upset that she would ever do such a thing.

            She grinned, leaning in to nip at his nearest earlobe. “Yes, I absolutely did. And you deserved it.”

            “Oh, did I?” But he was smiling despite his mock-outrage.

            “Yes. For being so brave, so strong, so loyal, and so absolutely perfect for me.”

            He smiled, eyes already starting to drop closed. “Well then, I guess I can’t complain.”

            “No, you can’t.”

            “Love you, ‘Lura.”

            “I love you, too. No dying on me.”

            But he was already asleep.

 

 

            Shiro was burning. His whole body was on fire, and he tried to grit his teeth and push through, but it ate at him. The fire consumed his strength, his will to fight, the very essence of his being, but not his physical body. It was devouring his soul and there was nothing he could do but surrender.

            He stopped fighting. He needed an end to the pain. It hurt too much to go on.

            He surrendered.

            The pain continued.

            The burning would not abate.

            Every cord and muscle in him snapped, every bone shattered. His very senses burst in the heat. His skin didn’t fit any longer, because there was nothing within him but the fire now, and he had no idea where the boundary between flesh and flame was.

            He wanted the pain to stop.

**_How badly?_**

            _I’ll do anything._

**_Anything?_ **

_Please make it stop. I can’t take it anymore._

**_You said anything._ **

_I meant it._

**_Do you want to die?_ **

_“No dying on me.”_

_I want the pain to stop._

**_They’re not the same thing._ **

_“You are NOT ALLOWED to die, do you hear me?”_

_I want the pain to stop. Please._

Finally, at last, blessed darkness overtook him.

 

 

            “Allura!”

            She glared across the table and snarled at her father’s hands pulling her back. He was stronger than she was, and there was no escaping him, but she continued to struggle.

            “HOW DARE YOU...?!” she growled.

            The stink of Sam Holt’s fear practically filled the tent, his hand was on the silver-plated dagger on his hip, but he stood his ground and matched her glare for glare. “I am not being unreasonable.”

            “ALLURA!” her father shouted again and suddenly she was on the ground, staring up at the tent until her father pinned her down. “Stop this behavior this instant!”

            “No, you’re not,” Elythe said smoothly in response to Sam’s comment. Allura struggled but her father’s weight kept her from getting up. “Forgive my fellow dominant her outburst. She has concerns about the suggestion – entirely reasonable ones, I might add – but she is… emotional right now, for reasons I’m sure you understand.”

            “I do understand. But if she can’t focus on the task at hand…”

            Her father’s head turned towards Sam’s voice. “I’ll get her out of here and let her calm down. I’m sure Elythe and Dagha can continue these talks.”

            “Better than she can at the moment,” she heard Sam agree.

            It raised her hackles again. “And you call yourself his FRIEND,” she all but spat.

            And then her father was hoisting her to her feet again. She watched for her opportunity to break free. She didn’t want to hurt Sam, but she wanted to scare some respect into the uppity little scrap of a human who thought he could come in here and dictate terms to her.

            Her father gripped her on the back of the neck and she instinctively froze. There wasn’t the scruff there that she had in lion form, but after so many years of being picked up and hauled around by the back of her neck, she was conditioned to stop moving when an elder grabbed hold back there.

            He marched her out ahead of him, one hand on the back of her neck and the other on one of her arms. She glared at Sam as she passed him, but made no sound nor move to resist. Her father shoved her ahead of him through the camp, letting everyone see that she was being treated like a disobedient cub, and her face burned with the shame. _I am a dominant! My word is more powerful than yours!_ But he was still her father.

            He stopped just outside her tent and let go of her entirely. “Go,” he said, jerking his head toward the tent.

            “What?” she asked, blinking in surprise. She expected a lecture of some sort, now that he’d softened her up with the humiliation she’d just been through.

            “You are no use to the pride in the emotional state you’re in.”

            She lifted her chin and tried to keep her lower lip steady. “Can you blame me?”

            “No, I can’t, actually. But it doesn’t change the fact that Sam is right: if you cannot control your emotional outbursts, you have no place in delicate negotiations.”

            “I wasn’t going to hurt him,” she protested.

            “I know that. It doesn’t matter. He did nothing to earn your wrath; he is advocating for his own people, just as you are advocating for yours.”

            She let all the anger drop out of her, and her head fell after it. She closed her eyes and hugged herself. “After all that’s happened, I just…”

            And then her father’s arms wrapped around her. “I know,” he said quietly.

            “It’s just… Mom looked just the same, right before… and then…” She began trembling, and she buried her face against his chest. The final indignity, the last humiliation: to cry in public, to break down and show such uncontrolled weakness…

            He rubbed her back soothingly and let her cry.

            “I can’t face a life without him. I can’t. I won’t. Losing Mother was bad enough.”

            “Yes, it was,” he agreed. “And I would do anything to spare you the pain of watching your mate die. But Shiro still lives, and he needs you. You will do more good here than you will in the dominants’ tent.”

            She sniffled. “I can’t. He’s so weak right now, so fragile. I’m so afraid of breaking him if I so much as lay a hand on his arm. It’s bad enough I did this to him.”

            “He wanted you to. This was his choice.”

            “I’m so afraid, Father,” she whispered.

            “I know. But do you remember what your mother said to you about bravery?”

            Allura nodded weakly.

            “What did she say?” he prompted her.

            She sniffled and pulled her head up, mopping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “She said…” She had to pause to get a proper breath in. “She said, ‘Bravery doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. It means you _are_ , but you go ahead anyway.’”

            Her father tucked two fingers under her chin to raise her face. He was smiling encouragingly. “I know you’re afraid of losing him. But he needs you to be strong, stronger than you’ve ever been before, because now you have to be strong enough for him as well as yourself. That’s what it is to be someone’s mate, sometimes. You don’t always take life on together, fighting side-by-side; sometimes one of you has to carry the other.”

            She sniffled again and sucked in a deep breath. She held it a moment or two then let it out slowly. “Okay. Okay, I can do this.”

            “I know you can, my fierce little huntress.” He kissed her forehead. “And I know you and Shiro will be happy together for a long time once you see him through this.”

            She looked to her tent’s entrance briefly, then turned her eyes back on her father, pleading. “I don’t know what to do. The dominants have administered the draughts the scrolls tell us of. Sam’s given him as much of that red potion as they can spare. I don’t know what I can do.”

            He shrugged. “I don’t know either. This is new to all of us. But, for now, just be there with him. Let him know that you’re by his side.”

            “I tell him that every night. I do still sleep here, after all. And I take my meals here, too. But he’s gotten so much worse now, and to just sit and…? I-I just hate feeling so _useless_.”

            “No doubt. But your use here is just to be next to him and to love him. Let him know he has something worth hanging on for.”

            She didn’t want to think of it, but she had to ask, “And what if it’s too late?”

            “Then wouldn’t you rather he died with you than without you? Wouldn’t you rather he went on in the confidence that you love him?”

            She swallowed hard and nodded.

            “Then be brave, my daughter. For his sake, and for yours. And when he pulls through, imagine how happy you will be when he wakes up and smiles at you.” His own smile slipped into a grin and he added, “Imagine how happy you’ll both be when he is finally and officially your mate.” He tousled her hair.

            “Daaaaaaaaad,” she protested, blushing and finger-combing her hair back into order (as much order as it ever had, anyway).

            “Imagine how happy I’LL be when I have grandcubs to coo over.”

            “Oh, by the winds, will you ever stop?”

            “Not until I have a grandcub or two or three, no.”

            “Three?! You and Mom only had me! Why do I suddenly have to provide three grandcubs for you?!”

            “Well, you don’t always get it right on the first try,” he teased.

            She laughed a little, despite still feeling sick at the thought of doing nothing but watching Shiro die. She glanced back at her tent and took another steadying breath. She started toward it then stopped and turned back. “Will you give Sam my apologies? I’ll make a personal one later, if… when Shiro is recovered.”

            “Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll have some food sent over. Maybe some tea to help settle you a bit?”

            “That’d be nice. But not Romelle, please?”

            He chuckled. “I’ll send Coran. Go on.”

            Allura smiled tightly and slipped back into the tent. It was just as she’d left it, though Shiro seemed to have been thrashing again in his sleep. Sweat was still beaded on his forehead and the blankets were kicked off…

            But he was curled up, shivering.

            She hurried over to him, dropping to her knees to feel his forehead. _Normal!_ The fever had broken, at long last. She tugged him over towards her, grunting with the exertion – _he used to be so much lighter_ – and pulled the blankets up over both of them.

            “Shhhh,” she whispered softly, and kissed his temple. “I’m right here. You’re going to be okay now. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

            He said nothing, but he uncurled a little, the better to mold himself to the heat of her body beside him. And that was when she noticed his hair: some of it – just the fringe, in front – had gone white. She blinked at it a little, toying with it carefully. He didn’t wake, just stirred softly, murmured something that might have been her name, and laid still.

            She could hear his heart beating rapidly despite his slow, even breathing. His scent had changed, too, or… deepened, perhaps. Underneath his pain and his sweat and his fear, his scent was very much the same as she had always known it. Deeper, yes, and perhaps a touch warmer, but undeniably _Shiro_. It comforted her.

            She laid there, toying with his newly-white hair, and thought about her father’s words, her mother’s death, her mate and their future together. Because there was going to be a future for them both. She couldn’t accept anything else and, for the first time in days, it looked like she wouldn’t have to.

 

 

            The burning had stopped, but he felt sore, weak, and soft, like he was just a pile of aching pulp that happened to be shaped like a human. The darkness had shifted, lessened. _My eyes are closed._ He wasn’t sure if he could open them or not. He felt he had to try. He groaned as he pushed his eyelids apart.

            Allura was laying next to him – no, he was in her arms, his head pillowed on her shoulder – and she was smiling at him. “Well, look who’s awake,” she said softly.

            “‘Lura,” he croaked. His mouth felt thick and syrupy. But he smiled back.

            Her smile widened. “Do you need anything?”

            “Water.”

            “I’ll have to get up to get it.”

            He considered. He was warm and felt safe here. His best friend and future mate was smiling and laying with him. He was comfortable. But…

            He sighed regretfully. “I really need the water,” he told her apologetically.

            She just kissed his forehead. “And a bath, while we’re at it,” she teased. “But water to drink first.”

            He couldn’t help a few grunts of protest as she clambered out from under him, and he curled into the warm spot in the cushions after she left. He was cold, even with the blankets. After some mental double-checking (he didn’t want to lift the blankets and let the warmth out), he realized he wasn’t clothed.

            It all came back to him in flashes: the burning. Coran helping Allura get his pants off, talking about fever. The voice. Allura trying to hide tears as she fell asleep next to him. More voices, but all around him this time. Elythe and Dagha, Sam and Keith. Drinking water. Drinking strange mixtures that tasted terrible. Strawberry. Coran talking to Allura. THE BURNING. And then the freezing cold, and Allura’s voice: “I’m right here.” And warmth again, but not the burning.

            In between all of that was darkness and pain. Just for a moment, he couldn’t remember why any of it had happened. Searching his mind for the answer brought it all back though, much clearer and sharper than the flashes.

            Allura biting him – and claiming him – in front of the pride and the guys.

            The talks. The fight with Lotor. Staring down the dominants of six prides. Meeting the guys. Meeting Matt & Pidge. Sam finding him in the town… his whole life came back to him all at once.

            By the time Allura returned with the water, Shiro was sitting up, looking around her tent again. And he smiled when he saw her duck in past the flap.

            “Wow,” she said, bringing him the cup. “You look much better.” She handed it to him then sat down next to him.

            “I feel better. How long was I out?” He tried not to just gulp the water down, but he was so thirsty.

            “Better part of a week,” she told him. “You scared us all pretty badly.”

            “Sorry. How soon can I get the bath?”

            She blinked at him. “You must be feeling _a lot_ better.”

            “A little sore, still. Thirsty. Hungry. Sweaty. But I feel like… like _me_. I guess that doesn’t make much sense, but…”

            She stopped him with a hand on his chest. “It makes perfect sense. And welcome back, mate.”

            He grinned. “I’m not technically your mate yet.”

            “You will be,” she grinned back, speaking with perfect confidence. “When you’re ready.” She nuzzled his cheek and whispered, “I’m looking forward to it.”

            He cleared his throat. “You didn’t answer my question about the bath.” He drank more of his water.

            She straightened up. “They’re bringing the tub and some buckets here. Will you need help?”

            He considered it and then shook his head. “No, actually, I don’t think I will. But stay anyway. I want to catch up on what I’ve missed the last few days.”

            She nodded. “Of course.”

            He drank down the last of the water and offered the cup back to her. “More please. And maybe something to eat?”

            “Don’t push it too soon,” she chided gently, despite her wide smile.

            “I’m not,” he assured her.

            “Need anything else?” she asked, rising to her feet again.

            “One more thing,” he said with a nod. She cocked her head curiously and he urged, “Say it again.”

            She was confused for a moment, but then her smile blew wide and she chuckled a little. She gazed down at him fondly and said, “I love you, Shiro.”

            He beamed up at her. “Thank you, Allura. I love you, too.” His stomach grumbled at him. “And I’ll love you even more when you get me something to eat.”

            She snorted and kicked one of the cushions at him playfully before heading out of the tent to see to his requests. He grinned and pushed himself up to his feet. Leaving the blankets was cold but bracing. It was good, and stretching out muscles that were both somehow sore and long-unused felt even better.

            He heard someone approaching and turned to the sound, but it took another few seconds before Dagha entered. _Weird. She sounded so close._ She smiled as she came in. “Well, look who’s up and about. How are you feeling?”

            “Like myself again. No,” he said, correcting himself. “More like myself than I’ve ever felt before.”

            She beamed. “Good. Let me check you over before Allura gets back in here and starts fussing again.”

            He snorted. “Has she been fussing?”

            Dagha was examining him. “Like a mother hen.”

            “And I missed it? Damn.”

            The dominant pushed his head to one side to examine his bite wound. “This seems to have healed up nicely.” She poked at it. “Any pain?”

            “No.”

            She jabbed at it viciously.

            “Still no. I can feel you doing that, and I wish you wouldn’t, but it doesn’t hurt.”

            “Hm, good, good.” She moved around him, occasionally poking at bits and waiting for his response. “Now, I’m going to ask this again, and I want you to be a little less philosophical about it this time: how are you feeling?”

            “Sore, even though I’ve spent most of a week laying down.”

            “Muscles are sore?” she clarified.

            He nodded. “Yeah. I’m… a little tired, I guess? But I feel like I need to move.”

            “Good, good,” she muttered to herself again. “Not feverish?”

            “I’m a little chilly, but that’s because I have no idea what happened to my clothes,” he pointed out.

            She snickered. “They’ve been washed. I think Coran has them. I’ll make sure they get back to you eventually, no matter what Allura says.”

            He snorted. “I need clothes again at _some_ point!”

            “Of course you do, but she might not see it that way.” Dagha tsked. “So impatient that she claimed you during the sharing ritual.”

            “See, that’s what I said, but she passed it off as ‘efficiency’.”

            “Little of one, little of the other,” the dominant insisted. “No point in biting you twice, and heavens know you two might as well hurry up and make it official. The rest of us have been waitin’ on that for years now.”

            “Gee, thanks, dominant,” he muttered wryly.

            She grinned up at him and poked his belly button playfully. “You hurry up and get around to your end of things.”

            He sighed, feeling his face heat. “Are all females this way?”

            Dagha laughed. “Doesn’t matter if we are; Allura is, and you’re stuck with her, unless you want to put forth a formal refusal?”

            “You know I’m not going to do that. I love that brat.”

            The dominant nodded. “Well then, the joining is half done, and I’ve finished.” She folded her arms. “So this is the best version of you now, is it?”

            “At least so far,” he replied. “Hopefully I’ve got some more years left to me to keep working on it.”

            Dagha grinned. “Smart lad. You’ll be good for her, and she for you. I’ll go see what’s holding up the bath. You stink.”

            He rolled his eyes. “Thank you for your tender ministrations, dominant.”

            “You’re welcome!” she replied cheerfully, as if he hadn’t been sarcastic.

 

 

            Allura went over what he’d missed while he washed up and got dressed (and made a joke about how watching him bathe when he knew she was doing it wasn’t nearly as much fun – she got splashed for that). The need to move – to walk, maybe run if he could – was still urging him on, so once he was clothed again, he headed for the tent flap.

            He winced and almost fell backwards; Allura was there to catch him, thankfully. “What is it?” she asked.

            “It’s so _bright_ ,” he complained.

            “You’ve been inside too long,” she reminded him.

            “Yeah, I guess.” He prepared himself before pushing his way out into the day.

            So bright and so _loud_. He put his hands over his ears and squinted his eyes.

            “Heavens! What do you two think you’re doing?!” It was Dagha’s voice. She sounded like she was right in front of him, but when he caught sight of her, she was running towards them still. “He shouldn’t be out until after dark!”

            And that was when he remembered what he’d read so long ago in the scroll: “ _A new lion-soul must be introduced to their heightened senses delicately, preferably at night when there is less activity._ ”

            Too late now, he supposed. “I need to talk to the guys,” he insisted. “And I have to _move_.”

            “You can move around inside the tent!” She tried to shoo him back towards it. “I’m sure Allura can think of all kinds of ways for you to burn off any excess energy!”

            “Dagha!” she hissed.

            “Quieter, please?” he whimpered.

            The older of the two dominants huffed and threw up her hands. “Knowing you two and your pig-headed ways, I suppose you’ll not be dissuaded. I’ll get some willow tea ready for the headache this poor lad’s likely to have.”

            He barely got a, “Thank you,” out before she had stormed off again, and Allura patted his arm gently.

            “You don’t have to do this now, Shiro,” Allura suggested.

            He smirked sidelong at her. “You going to suggest other ways for me to move instead?”

            She just threw the smirk right back at him. “I could, if you wanted.”

            He chuckled a little and kissed her cheek. “Later. Maybe. If you behave.”

            “If I…!”

            “Please don’t shriek right now,” he broke in before she could get well and truly indignant. “I have the feeling I’m going to need that willow tea.”

            She skewed her mouth shut, perturbed her outrage had been silenced. “You’re lucky I love you.”

            “Yes, I am,” he agreed sincerely.

            Every step, every breath, every moment was so much more _intense_ than it had ever been before. He could feel the grass and dirt more keenly, was more aware of the breeze on his skin and in his hair. Everything was brighter, louder, and… pungent. Scent upon scent, sound upon sound. His vision was sharp and clear for so much farther than it ever had been before, but it was the cacophony that distracted him most. Cubs laughing and arguing; their parents chiding them; birds singing to each other in the distance, far from the camp; Allura’s heartbeat next to him. He stopped walking for a moment and closed his eyes to focus on that last one. A deep, gentle thump, strong and steady.

            “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

            “Shh. Let me just listen to your heartbeat. It helps me drown out everything else.”

            Her heartbeat picked up a little at that, and then she kissed him quickly, and it went up again. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. Everything else had faded into the background, and there was just the sound of her heartbeat to ground him.

            Until…

            “Lance!”

            “Pidge started it!”

            “I did not!”

            “Do we have to fight, guys?”

            Shiro grinned as he looked around. He couldn’t see them, but his friends might as well have been right next to him for as loud as they seemed. “This way,” he said, turning towards the bickering.

            Allura beamed. “They fight a lot.”

            “That’s how you know they’re good friends,” he agreed.

            “I’ve been meaning to ask you: are Lance and Keith a mated couple?”

            “They don’t use that term; but no, I don’t think they are. Yet.” His grin widened. “They remind me of us when we were younger. Not in personality, but in that… how to put it…?”

            “Hmm. That ‘poke at each other because they’re brats in love’ state of being?”

            “Yes, exactly.” He reached over and poked her nose.

            She wrinkled it in response. “You were supposed to say that I was not a brat.”

            “Oh, sorry. I was not a brat,” he duly replied.

            She thwapped him on the arm. “Oh, that’s a lie!”

            “You told me to say it!”

            “Shiro!” It was so loud to him, but he barely had time to wince before he was being tackled by Pidge, then Lance, Keith, and finally Hunk, who just wrapped them all up in a big hug.

            “Careful! And quieter, please!”

            “Already got your werelion senses?” Hunk whispered.

            “You can talk a little louder than that – though I can hear you just fine – and yes, apparently, I have.”

            “Does that mean you can shift now?” Pidge asked, eyes wide with hope.

            “Uh… I should be capable of it, but I haven’t yet.”

            “Technically, a newly born lion-soul cub is capable of shifting to their lion form, but most don’t until they’re older,” Allura informed them all. “I first shifted when I was five years old.”

            “Is it gonna be five years before Shiro can shift?” Lance complained. “That seems lame.”

            “It shouldn’t be, but it takes time to learn how to do it, and - ,” Shiro began, but he was cut off.

            “Are you going to practice now?”

            “Can we watch?”

            “What’s the point of going through all this if you can’t shift?”

            Shiro sighed and looked at Allura, who shrugged. “What’d the scroll say about it?”

            “You’re asking me?”

            “You memorized it,” she accused him. “I’ve only read it the once.”

            “Are you _still_ upset about that?”

            “You snuck off and did forbidden things without me! Of course I’m upset! That was an _adventure_ , and you left me out of it.” She folded her arms and pouted.

            Shiro rolled his eyes and reached out to tug her towards him. “I promise I’ll never leave you out of another adventure again,” he told her before kissing her.

            “Yeesh,” Pidge groused. “I wanted to see him turn into a lion, not a weasel.”

            “He’s not a weasel!” Hunk protested. “He’s a lovebird, clearly.”

            “Lions are still better.”

            Shiro sighed when his lips were free again and commented, “I guess I have to try to shift then.”

            “You didn’t answer my question,” Allura reminded him quietly.

            He cleared his throat. “The scroll says a new lion-soul is capable of shifting immediately but that the process should be explained to them clearly and they should do it when they’re comfortable.”

            “I daresay the process has been explained to you,” she said wryly. “Are you comfortable?”

            He shrugged. “I guess so? I mean, I’m not supposed to be out here right now anyway, but here I am. Might as well try it; they’re not going to leave me alone until I do.”

            Keith put in, “I’ll get them to knock it off if you want me to, Shiro. You shouldn’t push yourself before you’re ready.”

            He smiled at him. “Thanks, Keith, but it won’t hurt to try. Can’t say I’m not curious about what I’ll look like as a lion.”

            “Don’t do it yet!” Pidge exclaimed, words coming out in a rush, each one tumbling over the next. “I have to get Dad and Matt holy Lawgiver I’ll be right back!” And Pidge was off like a shot.

            “Did she even breathe in there anywhere?” Keith wondered.

            Hunk just shrugged.

            “By the way, what happened to your hair?” Lance asked.

            “My hair?” He tried to look up at it, tugging some of his bangs down to try to peer at them.

            Allura explained it to him – and to them all – while they found a good clearing for him to practice in. “Dagha thinks the stress of the transformation did it. Or perhaps you’ll be a white lion like I am, since I turned you? We’re not really sure.”

            “One way to find out!” Hunk put in, grinning ear to ear. “I mean, if you’re still sure you want to do this. You don’t have to, but I’d sure like to see it when I’m mostly sure it doesn’t mean I’m about to be eaten.”

            “You won’t be eaten,” Shiro told him. “My mind stays the same, and I’d much rather have venison or rabbit than human.”

            When the Holts reappeared, the story of the hair and the reassurances about no one being eaten were repeated, and the humans sat in a large circle, giving Shiro plenty of room.

            Shiro sat cross-legged and closed his eyes and tried to shift the way he had tried as a kid, imagining his hair growing into fur, his hands becoming paws, a tail sprouting…

            He opened one eye and looked down to see that he still had hands and clothes. He sighed.

            “Patience,” Allura told him.

            “That’s funny, coming from you.”

            “I can be patient when I want to be!”

            “You never want to be.”

            “Maybe if you tried getting on all fours?” Hunk suggested. “I mean, lions don’t normally sit on the ground like that, do they?”

            Shiro shrugged. “Worth a shot, I guess?” He got into position and closed his eyes. “I’m trying not to think about how silly this feels.”

            “I dunno,” Lance murmured from behind him, “the view’s kind of nice.” This was followed by an “OW!” and a hissed, “Keith! Knock it off!” and then Pidge snickering.

            “Patience yields focus,” Allura told him.

            He opened one eye to smirk at her, expecting her to have a similar expression, but she was just smiling at him. He closed his eye again and tried to ignore everything else but the sound of Allura’s heartbeat.

            He could hear everyone’s, but he focused in on hers. Aside from the fact that he was facing her and so her heartbeat was straight in front of him, it just… sounded like her. It was faster than the others, for one thing, but it was the same sound he’d been focusing on not that long ago. He let the other sounds fade.

            _Patience yields focus._

            “You don’t have to ‘become’ a lion,” Allura’s voice said quietly. “You already are one. It’s there, within you. You just have to allow it to come out.”

            _I already am a lion. I just have to let the lion part of my soul take over._

            He’d grown up deferring. Without ever being told so directly, he’d known that he had to look away, to hunch, to bow, to back down. And, sometimes, he’d still have to do those things: he was no dominant. But he was lion-souled now. He was on equal footing with the other males, save Alfor. No better, but no worse. He didn’t have to defer automatically. He _shouldn’t_ defer automatically.

            He felt… something. Something strange. He didn’t know what it was, but he focused on it precisely because it was unusual. Allura’s heartbeat was still in his ears.

            _This is who I’ve always been. It’s not something I ‘become’,_ he reminded himself, using her words. _It’s just releasing it. Letting it out. No more deferring to anyone who’s not a dominant._

The burning roared through him again. There’d been no spark, no kindling, just full-throated flame within him and there was an actual _sound_ to it now, deep and almost ear-splittingly loud, and it was his own pulse in his ears now, and he opened his eyes to look to Allura for help because there wasn’t pain yet but he was afraid there would be now that the burning was back…

            She was beaming proudly at him. Sam was on one side of her, Hunk on the other, and they both looked completely stunned. For that matter, everyone seemed to have… shrunk just a little? They were lower to the ground somehow, and…

            He looked down. Black paws stood on the grass.

            He blinked and tried to lift a hand experimentally.

            One paw raised itself off the ground.

            He almost fell over in shock.

            Allura laughed and came over to hug him. “You did it!” She kissed his nose. “Look at my gorgeous mate.” Her hands ruffled through his mane.

            He purred. He didn’t even think about it, he just _purred_ and nuzzled his head into her hands and she giggled again.

            “Shiro?”

            He looked over to see Keith approaching him warily. He glanced around at the rest of his friends, and they were all curious. Pidge was grinning crookedly, as usual, and so he padded over – trying not to trip over his own paws – and headbutted her hello. She laughed as she hit the ground, and he wanted to say he was sorry, but he couldn’t use human words like this.

            And then they were all on him, hugging him, petting him, tugging on his ears and poking his side. He swatted at Lance with his tail, playfully, and gave a strangled roar as he went down under the deluge of friendly attention. He batted at Hunk and pretended to die from the smothering friendship.

            Allura shooed them all off of him and he repaid her by pouncing on her, pinning her to the ground and licking her face. “STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!” she demanded through laughter, trying to push his face away. “Don’t make me pull rank on you!” He stopped long enough for her to look at him again, gave her a defiant full-face lick, and then bounded away.

            He ran circles around the clearing, tried (and failed) to catch his own tail, and basked in playful headbutts and the petting of his friends. Sam suggested challenges to him (“How high can you jump?”) and Matt was taking furious notes (when Shiro wasn’t headbutting him or swishing his tail in his direction).

            “Okay now, let’s see if you can shift back,” Allura said eventually. “And if you can, we’ll have a proper First Shifting party for you tonight.”

            “You people have a lot of parties!” Hunk declared appreciatively. “I like it!”

            Shiro lit up inside at the thought of finally having a First Shifting party and tried to resume human form. And, of course, nothing happened.

            “Is he stuck?” Lance asked.

            Keith wanted to know, “What happens if he can’t change back?”

            “Will there still be a party?” Hunk pursued.

            “If he’s stuck as a lion,” Pidge mused, “would you still mate with him?”

            “KATHERINE!” Sam yelled as Matt snickered.

            Allura sighed and answered the questions in turn. “Only temporarily; he _will_ change back; there will be a party as soon as he does so; and _he will change back_ so that’s not a question that needs to be ASKED, let alone answered.”

            She came over and finger-combed his mane some. “It’s fun, isn’t it? It makes you feel powerful, yeah?”

            Shiro nodded.

            “You haven’t had much power in your life, or, rather, you haven’t felt powerful.”

            He gave her a Look. _Oh, come_ on _. You and I both know I was weak and powerless._

            She shook her head. “You were more powerful than you knew. For instance, you got me to fall in love with you.” She kissed his muzzle.

            _It’s not the same._

“I know it’s not the same,” she replied. She was as good at reading him as he was at reading her, he supposed, lion form or no. “But you’re no longer ‘stuck’ as a human. You can be a lion again whenever you want from now on.”

            He tried, and his ears went back in frustration.

            Allura smirked and leaned in to whisper so quietly _he_ almost couldn’t hear it, even with his improved senses, “You have yet to match my claim with your own, Shiro. You can’t do that this way.”

            He shot her another Look for that, and she straightened up with a shrug. “Well, it’s true. I had to try it.”

            “Try what?” Hunk asked.

            Lance cleared his throat. “I didn’t hear it for sure, but I can make a good guess.”

            Pidge snickered.

            Allura ignored them. “Well, there’s one last thing to try.” She walked over to Hunk and whispered something in _his_ ear this time. Shiro tried to hear it, but could only make out the occasional word or two.

            Hunk grinned and said, “Hey, Lance, back me up here.”

            “Always, my friend, always.”

            Shiro looked between them in confusion, and then jumped back as they leapt for him. He roared and batted as they dragged him down, not sure what Allura’s plan was but, hey, he wouldn’t mind playing some more.

            And then Allura joined the fray and went straight for his ribs.

            _NO FAIR!_ But all his attempts at batting her away were for naught. Lance and Hunk were struggling to keep him on his back, and Allura was quick and strong enough that her tickling onslaught couldn’t be abated. Presumably she’d stop if he unleashed his claws, but he didn’t want to hurt her or the guys, so he was stuck being tickled.

            He kicked his back feet and tried to squirm away, but Keith and Pidge joined in, and now he was really done for. Lance and Hunk moved to each pin a back leg and Keith and Pidge each grabbed a fore leg, and that left him completely open for Allura’s tickle-attacks.

            Shiro thrashed and bucked, focusing on trying to get her to STOP. He wasn’t aware of what was happening until he wrenched his arms free and grabbed hold of Allura’s wrists.

            She grinned at him. “Well, looks like we’re having a party tonight after all,” she announced, and Hunk let go of him to whoop in glee. She looked back to Shiro. “Assuming you’ll let go of me?”

            He did, but more to realize that his paws were hands again, and they’d just _been paws_ , and…

            The guys were a loud jumble of cheering around him, and he could feel the headache threatening on the horizon, but Allura offered her hand to help him up and he accepted it. She helped pull him to his feet and he responded by pulling her in for a tight hug.

            “I’m finally complete,” he whispered into her hair.

            “Yes,” she agreed. And then she shrieked as he started tickling her, and amended, “COMPLETELY ANNOYING, YOU BRAT!” and the headache surged into full-bloom, but he didn’t care. He had vengeance to get and a party to attend.

 

 

            One thing Sam had to give the weres: they knew how to throw a party.

            It seemed the word had gotten out even before they’d gotten back to the camp proper, and preparations were already being made: the hunters had gone out to run down some more meat, the last of the season’s berries were being picked, and musicians were tuning their instruments.

            Shiro was nursing a headache with some willow-bark tea, but he seemed beside himself with joy. He looked more like a little boy than a young man, and it made Sam’s heart ache that his friends hadn’t lived to see this.

            Sam was invited back to Allura’s tent to talk while the dominant herself was out organizing the party. “I had meant to discuss the last points of the peace talk,” Shiro said, frowning thoughtfully at his shock of white hair in the mirror. “I look so _old_.”

            Sam laughed. “You’re not allowed to call yourself ‘old’ in my earshot, boy.”

            Shiro smirked over at him. “You sound like Coran.”

            “It seems he’s been a good father to you.”

            “Yes, he has.” Shiro turned from the mirror entirely now. “But should I be worried that we’re not discussing the talks?”

            “No, no. They went fine. I’m not entirely sanguine about this whole ‘turning people over to the weres’ thing, even if they’ve done something to warrant it, but it’s the same deal they’ve made with us. And we’ve still got the right to Hunt them down if they break the accords. Everything’s even, and I’ve gone over it all with a fine tooth comb, but I just…” He sighed. “I guess I’m just still not used to the idea yet.”

            “I know it must be odd for you,” Shiro agreed. “It’s strange for us, too. But thank you for agreeing to all of this. To at least attempting peace, that is.”

            Sam shrugged. “We’ve always wanted peace. Your mother said it herself: an end to all of this. This probably wasn’t what she had in mind – sure isn’t how I thought this would go – but…”

            “I’m grateful all the same.”

            “Thanks, but, if anything, be grateful to Pidge and her friends. She misses things sometimes, when she doesn’t feel they’re worth her attention, but she’s got a razor-sharp focus when she wants to, and a damn good head on her shoulders. Little impulsive, perhaps, but time’ll ease that down, I hope.”

            “Don’t hold your breath,” Shiro warned him.

            He couldn’t help laughing. “Well, a father hopes. My point is, she was as ready as anyone I’ve ever seen to take out weres – er, lion-souls, in this case – and to see her turn around like that made me stop and consider it. When she advocated for you, for this, I couldn’t help but really listen to her. That’s my own girl, and I know her and Matt better than I know myself. You got them both on your side.

            “So, thanks for your thanks and all, but I did this for them, ultimately, not for you. No offense.”

            “None taken,” Shiro told him with a smile. “I know I couldn’t have done this without her and Matt, without Keith and Lance and Hunk. I owe all of you.”

            Sam waved his hand. “Be happy, live well. It’s what your parents would’ve wanted for you, and it’s all I need to repay any debt you feel you owe us. Well, and come visit when you’re in the neighborhood.”

            “We’ll do that,” Shiro promised.

            “So, is there anything I need to know about this party?”

            “Try to go easy on the mead,” he advised with a grin. “Other than that, enjoy yourself. Are you planning to head out tomorrow?”

            “Yes. The boys’ families set up camp not far from here. We’ll meet up with them.”

            Shiro nodded. “Good. We’ve stayed far too long; the weather will turn on us while we’re still on the road.”

            “As it will for us,” Sam agreed. “But I daresay this was worth it.”

            “I hope so.”

            “Already regretting the marriage? Or, er, matehood, I suppose?”

            Shiro laughed. “I thought you meant the peace talks!”

            “Well, I meant that when I said it, but the question had to be asked.” Shiro snickered, and Sam pursued, “I keep hearing talk about things ‘not being finalized’ yet? Something about something you have to do in return?”

            Shiro cleared his throat. “Yes, well, as it stands, things are unequal. We’ll even it out later.”

            “Do you have to bite her, too?”

            “No. Come on, I hear the hunters returning with more food. They’ll need help.”

            “I don’t hea-… oh,” Sam remembered. “Gotta say, I’m not sure whether to envy you the enhanced hearing or not. My kids are loud enough to human ears.”

            “You have no idea,” Shiro groaned. “I might be drinking more willow tea than mead tonight.”

            “Just wait until you have kids of your own,” Sam warned him.

            “One headache at a time,” Shiro pouted as he let Sam head out of the tent ahead of him.

 

            And, of course, Shiro’s prediction proved right: he ate lightly and nursed tea as those around him whooped and celebrated, sang and danced. Sam sat back and watched the goings-on more than anything else.

            Shiro had to demonstrate his shifting numerous times through the night, and, of course, the small horde of cubs were the first to demand to see it. Shiro ran the little ones ragged as they shifted into their own lion forms and play-fought him. He pretended to be hurt and “died” several times for their amusement until their parents packed them off to their beds.

            It was interesting to see the other weres as surprised by Shiro’s lion form as he’d been. He was almost entirely black, save for some white in his mane and on his muzzle. It certainly marked him out as an unusual lion, even if his size and intelligence hadn’t. Watching Allura shift, nuzzle, and lay next to him near the fire brought an even stranger thought to Sam’s mind: _They look incredible together._ Black and white, both so regal and beautiful.

            _Proof of how things have changed_ , he thought to himself. _I don’t see them as threats right away._ He hoped that it was a good change. He liked being able to relax as much as the kids would let him.

            Because, of course, he’d been left in charge of all the human children, and they were a mischievous pack of hoodlums. His own two were bad enough: Matt was fending off a number of amorous-minded lion-souls and Pidge was threatening to fight the ones who weren’t getting the hint. Sam was _mostly_ sure she hadn’t been sneaking some mead, but he didn’t put anything past her.

            He’d given up trying to keep Hunk out of the mead: the boy was going to be a formidable challenge in future drinking contests. Lance was dancing with everyone who so much as smiled at him, and Keith was the easiest of the lot to mind, as he was sitting sullenly and watching Lance with a sour expression. Sam prayed to the Lawgiver for the strength to survive teenagers and sipped at the same mug of mead he’d started the night with.

            Shiro had an easier time reverting to human form after so much practice through the night. As things wound down, he wasn’t forced to show off his shifting as much, and he stayed human (the better to drink his medicine, Sam didn’t doubt).

            “How’s the headache, lad?” Alfor called over the fire to him.

            “Better, sir,” Shiro replied. “The tea’s kicked in, I think.”

            Dagha was grumpy. “You pushed it too soon. She’s not the only impatient one.”

            There was some general laughter; Sam wasn’t sure he understood the joke, so he just stayed silent.

            Allura leaned her head against Shiro’s shoulder and batted her eyelashes up at him, grinning like a kid wanting a shiny new dagger. “Speaking of…”

            There was more laughter, and Sam noticed Shiro was blushing. But he just arched an eyebrow at Allura and asked, “You won’t leave me alone about this, will you?”

            She pouted exaggeratedly. “Unless you really _want_ me to leave you alone?”

            He sighed and kissed her forehead. “You know I don’t. And stop looking at me like that; it makes me suspicious.”

            She sat up straight and tried to wipe the hopeful grin off her face. She succeeded only in downgrading it to an anxious smile. “Well then?”

            Shiro downed the rest of his tea and rose to his feet. He delivered the mug back to Dagha with respectful thanks and turned to look back at them all. “Well, I suppose we’re going to bed then. Don’t let the party stop on our account.”

            Allura practically bounced up from her seat, but reined herself in enough to walk with stately elegance through the gathering. Shiro bid them good night and followed after her. Sam noted they were both headed for her tent.

            Lance snickered. “Well, someone’s going to have a good night, I guess.”

            “Depends how his headache’s going,” Hunk commented with a grin.

            “If he values his life, _she’s_ going to have a good night anyway,” Elythe said, and Sam had no problems joining in the mirth this time.

            He was glad the dominant had spoken up. “I would like to take this moment to thank you all for your hospitality.”

            Elythe smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m only sorry it’s been as shoddy as it has been. We weren’t really prepared for… well, for any of this.” She laughed again.

            “You’re not the only one,” he replied wryly. “It’s gone so quickly, too. But I suppose that’s all to be laid at Shiro’s doorstep. His parents were much the same: see a problem, step up to solve it, no waiting, no dilly-dally.”

            “Admirable,” Elythe observed.

            “So long as you’re correctly identifying the problem,” Dagha added on. “I do not mean to speak ill of your friends, Samuel, but they believed all of our people were a problem to be eliminated.”

            He nodded. “As did I. As most humans do.”

            “It strikes me as odd that you trusted a stranger so quickly,” Alfor commented. “I’m grateful for it, given the outcome, but Shiro was unknown to you when your paths crossed.”

            Sam cleared his throat. “He looks so much like Kenichi. Hints of Yumiko in there, but… for a moment, I saw my old friend again. And I owed him much, not just in material debt but in friendship, as well.

            “I’m Lexian. Raised the kids to be, too. We believe in the Lawgiver, and that He has reasons for what He does, even if we can’t see or understand them. Seeing my friend again, realizing it was his son, still alive after all these years – something like that doesn’t just happen out of the blue. It happens because it was meant to, because the Lawgiver ordained it.

            “I thought Takashi was as dead as my friends. And, to hear him tell the story, he nearly was. I know you don’t believe as I do, but I believe the Lawgiver stayed your wife’s – sorry, mate’s – hand. Takashi was saved for a reason, and this is it. His mother wanted peace, and was willing to fight for it. She thought peace had to be bought with the death of your kind, and she was wrong in that. I’ve been wrong in it. But she still wanted peace. And her son’s going to achieve that.”

            Elythe chuckled. “You might be getting too far ahead of yourself there. We are one pride having worked out an accord with one group of Hunters.”

            Sam shrugged. “First steps. I have hope. Besides, once a Shirogane decides something is going to happen, it generally does. At least, that’s been my experience.” He laughed a little. “When Yumiko decided it was time to go to bed, it was _time to go to bed_. Kenichi might try to argue the point, and he was stronger and heavier than she was, but she’d drag him off every time!”

            “Oh, like father, like son,” Dagha snickered, and everyone laughed.

            “Well, I didn’t mean _that_ ,” Sam hedged, blushing faintly. “Though who knows? They were private people in that respect. It was obvious they loved each other, of course, but I think my first question to Kenichi when he announced Yumiko’s pregnancy was to ask when they even found time to try. Some nights it seems like all I can do to kiss Colleen goodnight before I pass out, let alone even think about…”

            “Daaaaaad,” Pidge and Matt groaned together. She was the one who kept going with it though. “Do we have to hear about that?”

            The werelions seemed amused. “You do tell your children how babies are created, don’t you?” Dagha wanted to know.

            “I’ve been assuming humans come into existence the same way,” Alfor followed up. “Was I wrong in that?”

            “If you were,” Elythe said, “I’m not sure whether to pity or envy human females. On one hand, the conception can be a lot of fun. On the other hand, there’s giving birth.”

            Sam’s blush was getting worse. “No, no, I’m… pretty sure it’s fairly universal there.”

            “And just ‘cause we know how it’s done doesn’t mean we want to think about our parents doing it,” Matt pointed out.

            There was a chorus of agreement from the other boys, and Sam took the opportunity to try to change the subject. “My original point was that Shiro’ll keep after this ‘peace’ idea of his. If this doesn’t work, he’ll try something else. He won’t give up easy; raised with you lot or not, his blood wouldn’t let him just stop.

            “I didn’t know all this when I first saw him, of course. All I knew was Takashi was alive after all, I had a debt to repay, and that I had to trust in the Lawgiver. I have to admit, I was pretty angry when I woke up to my daughter missing along with him, and then to come to find out the boys were missing, too…”

            “I can only imagine the terror you must’ve felt,” Alfor said. “So many cubs missing, spirited away by a stranger you welcomed into your home. Well, into the inn you were staying at.”

            Sam nodded. “Aye, I blamed myself a little. Some of the other Hunters blamed me _more_ than a little. Seeing the kids all okay – more or less – helped, and please,” he held up a hand to forestall Elythe’s usual protest, “I have accepted your apologies.”

            “It’s Katie’s fault anyway,” Matt pointed out brightly.

            “Call me ‘Katie’ again and see how long you live,” she hissed at him.

            “No killing your brother until he’s married and had a son,” Sam reminded her mildly. “We talked about this.”

            “But that means I’ll never get to kill him!”

            Matt stuck his tongue out at her and she returned the gesture. Sam offered a brief prayer up to the Lawgiver for patience (again). “And, like I told Shiro, I trust my kids. They both spoke up for him after all that mess.” He tousled Matt’s hair. The lad just groaned and tried to finger-comb it back to the way he liked it (though, honestly, Sam didn’t think there was much difference). “If I can trust the invisible hand of the Lawgiver, I can trust my own flesh and blood.”

            “Admirable sentiment,” Elythe agreed. “I’m glad it’s worked out so well for all of us.”

            It was easy to fall into conversation with the dominants after so many days crammed into a tent with each other. Alfor wanted to be sure his daughter had apologized for her outburst the other day, and Sam assured him she had. Matt asked some more questions about their culture, taking copious notes, while the rest of the kids chatted and laughed and generally annoyed one another.

            The only notable thing was that sometimes he’d catch the weres exchanging smirks and glances with each other. He was trusting them, and so far that trust hadn’t been abused, but he was starting to worry. Old instincts screamed at him to get his hand on a weapon, to attack now before they could be betrayed, for the sake of the children…

            _I said I trust their judgement and I do, dammit. I trust in the Lawgiver and in my own children._

            But it was hard to trust that over years of experience, training, and habit.

            And then, there was a very loud moan of very definite pleasure coming from the direction of Allura’s (and Shiro’s, now, he assumed) tent. And the weres burst into full-on grins. Sam glanced around at the kids and noticed they were all at least as red as he felt, if not more so. A second moan followed.

            “Took him long enough,” Dagha grumped, sipping her mead.

            “I can’t see Shiro taking the conventional approach,” Coran put in from his spot next to Alfor. By now, the male dominant had draped an arm around his current mate’s waist, and they were leaning against one another in comfortable companionship. “It just doesn’t seem like him.”

            “Conventional approach?” Lance asked with great interest.

            Sam cleared his throat. “Be that as it may, we should probably…”

            More ecstatic groans split the night, and Sam instinctively clapped his hands over Pidge’s ears. “DAD!” she protested.

            “Trust me,” Matt told her, hands over his own ears, “you don’t want to hear this.”

            The werelions were enjoying this, and Sam finally understood what the earlier grinning was about. _They could hear it before we could._

            He glanced over at Alfor and was shocked to see the man just as calm and relaxed as before. “I’m sorry, but… don’t you find this awkward?”

            “Awkward?” Alfor asked.

            “That’s your daughter!”

            “Yes,” he agreed, “and she sounds quite happy. As a parent, I’m glad for her.”

            Sam just boggled at him.

            “Do you not want your own children to be happy?” Elythe asked in confusion.

            “Yes, of course, I do, but I… I don’t need audible proof of it!” he all but yelped.

            “Oh, but we do,” Dagha explained to him. “This is part of our tradition.”

            “Let me,” Alfor interrupted, “I’ve been on both sides of it, after all.” He sat up (earning him a pout from Coran, who drank from his mug sullenly as he lost his comfy leaning post) and looked to Sam. “You all saw Allura bite Shiro to claim him. That was her right, as a dominant. This,” he leaned his head towards the direction of the very happy noises, “is him returning the favor.”

            Sam’s eyes widened. “THIS is what you lot have been talking about when you said he hadn’t ‘held up his end of things’?!”

            “Well, yes,” Alfor said, still seeming confused. “This makes them equal. She claimed him; he has to claim her in return.” He leaned back a little and didn’t seem to mind when Coran latched on for more warm snuggles. “Aetheria bit me when we mated, because she was an up-and-coming dominant and she had more visible power. It was her right to claim me; I claimed her for the entire pride to hear that night. After she passed, and Coran and I became more than just good friends, I bit him, so it was his turn to claim me.”

            Sam was amazed at how straight-forward he was about it all. But it was Lance (of course) who had to pursue matters. “So, they _have_ to be loud?”

            “Better heard than seen,” Dagha pointed out.

            Elythe shrugged. “We can all hear them anyway. Might as well announce it the first time.”

            “The children hear it, too?” Sam asked.

            “Well, yes.” She, like Alfor, didn’t seem to understand why he was aghast at the notion.

            “Why can’t he just bite her back?” Matt asked. Sam wasn’t sure, but it sounded like his son was torn between whining about the noise and being curious about the tradition.

            “Different type of power,” Dagha replied. “The biting is a tradition from back in the first days of our people. This sort of claiming was added later, to show that love has a power as well, and to make things equal. Originally, there was much more of an imbalance, but we’ve moved past such archaic beliefs.”

            There was a cry of what might have been Shiro’s name if it hadn’t broken off, and the sounds died down. “If he knows what’s good for him, he’s not done yet,” Alfor muttered.

            “He’s _not_ done yet,” Coran reassured him, sounding totally confident. “He likes to savor treats, after all.”

            “BEDTIME NOW,” Sam demanded.

            Pidge finally wrested herself free of her father’s hands and rubbed at her ears sullenly. “Yeesh, Dad.”

            “No backtalk. Bedtime.”

            “If Coran’s right, get some rest while you can. They’ll be back at it again soon enough,” Dagha laughed.

            “IF?!” Coran hooted in outrage. “I practically raised the lad! I know him better than you do! I’ll lay you my finest buckskin – ” But he was cut off by Alfor clapping a hand over his mouth.

            “No betting.” He nuzzled Coran’s ear. “I’ll nurse your wounded pride later.”

            “Holy Lawgiver, I hope whatever’s gotten into all of you, it’s not in the water,” Sam groaned.

            “Or the mead,” Hunk teased in a chipper tone. Sam shot him a sour look for that, and Hunk sighed and stood.

            Lance just snickered. “I dunno, I… I’m feeling kind of strange and tingly…” He collapsed against Keith’s shoulder, and Sam watched the other boy flame crimson then practically leap to his feet. Of course, this just caused Lance to topple over.

            “We should listen to Mr. Holt and go to bed,” Keith bit out, trying to avoid looking at anyone in particular. “T-to sleep!”

            Lance pouted as he pushed himself up. “Yeah, yeah, fine. Yeesh, learn to take a joke, man.”

            Hunk, Pidge, and Matt were all snickering. At least his son had a sense of decency; he thanked their hosts before they headed back to their bedrolls. Sam just hoped that one time of being… obvious about things was enough and that they would let everyone get some sleep. He wouldn’t begrudge Shiro his happiness, of course, but, well, as Matt had brought up, there was knowing and _knowing_. He was generally a “knowledge is power” sort of guy, but, concerning the love life of his friends’ son, he was more than willing to stand by “ignorance is bliss.”

           

 

            Allura blinked awake to find her mate smiling at her softly. _My mate_. It was almost magical to her; she could only imagine what it was like for Shiro, who’d never expected to have anyone, let alone the one he actually loved. “Good morning,” she said, leaning in to nuzzle his nose.

            “Good morning.” He chuckled quietly. “We have to get up,” he said regretfully.

            “I know.” She yawned and stretched. “We have to pack up and move on, and you wanted to see your pride back to their camp.”

            “They’re not my pride.”

            “They _are_ your pride,” she insisted. “And let’s not start our first morning together with a fight.”

            “I still want to spar with you again.”

            “When we set up winter camp, maybe.”

            “Yes, yes. Duty first.” He tugged her over to him to kiss her, and she slid her hand around to the nape of his neck to keep him there just a little longer. Even when he did break away, he stayed close to her, gazing down at her fondly.

            She couldn’t help blushing at the gentle wonder on his face. “I promise you this is all real.”

            “I know. I never dreamed of so much all at once.”

            “This isn’t all that much.”

            “It is to me,” he declared. “My own lion soul, peace between us and the Hunters, and my princess as my mate? It’s almost too much – not that I’m willing to give any of it up.” He leaned down to kiss her briefly and nuzzle her cheek.

            She snorted and shoved playfully at him. He barely moved. “You and that ‘princess’ nonsense. Must I continue to beat it out of you?”

            “You can try,” he challenged, breath warm against her skin.

            She laughed. “Another time. We have to get up.”

            He sighed and pushed himself away from her. “Yes, dominant,” he groused.

            “Oh, don’t give me that. You’re the one who first brought it up.”

            “You were changing my mind.”

            “Was I?” she asked, sitting up to smirk at him. “I wasn’t trying to.”

            “You are persuasive even when you don’t mean to be.”

            He tossed articles of her clothes to her as he found them. She caught them and sorted through them, pulling them on as he found the proper items. When he wasn’t finding her discarded clothes, he was getting dressed himself.

            “How’s your head?” she asked as they dressed.

            “Better? Still a little …sensitive, I guess?”

            “I’ll see if I can get some willow bark strips for you to munch on while you’re taking your pride over.”

            He didn’t protest the term this time. “Thank you, lovely and thoughtful mate.”

            She beamed. “I could get used to hearing you call me that.”

            “You should get used to it. You _are_ my mate now.”

            “I meant the ‘lovely and thoughtful’ part.”

            He snorted and then burst into laughter. She was fully dressed now, save for her dominant’s tunic, her belt & wrap, and her mother’s fang. She padded over to slide her arms around him. He returned the gesture and, as his mirth faded into a warm smile, he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “I love you so much, ‘Lura.”

            “I love you more.”

            “Impossible.”

            “Prove it.”

            He opened his eyes as he lifted his head to look skywards. “Heavens, does _everything_ have to be a competition?”

            “Only the fun parts,” she teased. She kissed his throat quickly.

            He grinned down at her. “I’m going to kick your ass next time we spar,” he promised, letting go of her to finish gathering up the last of the clothes.

            “You sound very certain about that.”

            “I am.”

            “It hasn’t occurred to you that I was going easy on you because of the power imbalance between us?”

            “Oh, I’m sure you were.” He found her tunic and picked it up, but rather than tossing it to her, he walked over to loop it around her waist and pull her back towards him. “Which is why I’m going to really enjoy beating you now that we’re equal.”

            She pulled him in to kiss him hard, and when she released him, he duly handed her the red tunic. She accepted it and asked, “Loser does what the winner wants that night?”

            He rolled his eyes. “Is mating all you can think about?”

            “Your fault,” she hissed.

            “You’re welcome,” he replied with a grin.

            “Hey, are you two almost done in there?” Romelle’s voice called from the other side of the tent entrance. “Your humans are grumpy about their lack of sleep and would like to leave.”

            Allura couldn’t help snickering, but Shiro just cleared his throat and called back, “I’m on my way.”

            “Before you go,” she said, latching onto his arm, “I need to tell you something.”

            He looked at her a moment then smiled and said, “I love you, too.”

            “Not that. Well, yes, that, but also this.” She looked up into his eyes, tried to hold him in place with just her gaze and make him understand. “I have _never_ pictured my future without you in it, at least, not until you left. I couldn’t see my own feelings, but I was never blind to the place you held in my life. I assumed I’d mate and have cubs someday, but I didn’t put any thought into the sort of mate I wanted or would have, because whoever they were, they wouldn’t be as important to me as you. They were… non-descript. My future, as far as I was concerned, was that I would be a dominant and that you would be with me. That was what I cared about.

            “And, it… shook me, your leaving. But I needed that shake. You still should have told me, but I can’t be that upset about all of this because we’re going to have peace out of it, hopefully, and because now _you_ are my mate. You said that it’s too much for you to have dreamed of, but this is everything I ever wanted and more. I’ve wanted you to be lion-souled, to really be a part of this pride, since I was a kid. I wanted everyone to see in you what I’ve always seen: someone unshakably loyal, kind-hearted, curious, and sweet. And now they will. They should have seen it before, when you were still human, but maybe this will help them realize that now.

            “Maybe _you_ know that this is all real, but sometimes I’m still afraid of waking up. I’m scared I’ll lose you, lose all of this, because it’s almost too good to be true. And I don’t want to let go of you again. I won’t.”

            He looked like he might cry, but he was smiling, so she took it as a good sign. “I promised you again last night, Allura, and I meant it: I’m not leaving you.”

            She duly repeated her own promise, “And I won’t leave you behind. Not ever again.”

            He kissed her forehead. “I am only, always, and forever yours, ‘Lura. Your future is mine now.”

            “And my future is yours, just as I am,” she agreed. “You just… might have to remind me sometimes. Not because I forget, but just because, as childish as it is, I need the reassurance.”

            “I’ll reassure you if you do the same for me,” he told her.

            “Deal.” She hugged him tightly and then pressed a hard kiss to his cheek. “Go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back to me.”

            “I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” He headed for the tent entrance, untying the flaps she’d secured the night before to keep out miscreants and trouble-makers (mostly Romelle).

            “Good, because there’s a lot of stuff to pack up, and I won’t have you gallivanting about the forest all day instead of doing your share,” she told him sternly.

            He laughed and snapped off a quick, “Yes, dominant,” before he ducked out into the day.

 

 

            “So, this is it, I suppose.”

            Shiro looked over the temporary Hunter camp. His new friends had been greeted with hugs by their families and were now all chattering away about everything they’d seen and experienced. Well, Keith seemed to be delivering more of a report than a happy catching-up; Shiro might’ve been worried if he hadn’t seen Keith’s father pull him in for a tight hug the instant he saw him.

            The Holts, of course, were the exception. They stood with him, smiling. “Only until you’re back this way,” Sam reminded him. “Well, not that we live in Brookton, but Dominant Elythe said you lot come close enough to Faircliff to stop in for a visit.” He gave Shiro an expectant Look as if to say _You **will** or else._ It must be a common skill parents developed, he thought.

            “We will, we will,” he assured him. “I’d love to meet the woman who brought Pidge and Matt into the world.”

            They all laughed. “She’s gonna give you an earful for letting my sister run wild,” Matt warned her.

            “He didn’t ‘let’ me do anything!” Pidge insisted. “He’s not in charge of me!”

            “Lawgiver knows someone _ought_ to be,” he retorted. They stuck their tongues out at each other.

            “Bring Allura with you,” Sam said, ignoring his cubs’ behavior for the moment. “Colleen would love to meet her. We’ll make sure you don’t leave hungry.”

            “Be careful what you promise,” Shiro told him. “Allura’s got a powerful appetite as is. If she’s pregnant at the time, it’ll be even worse.”

            “Well, you don’t know she will be.”

            “I know she’s going to try to be,” he replied with a grin. “And she usually gets what she wants.”

            Pidge groaned out an, “Ewww!”

            Sam rolled his eyes. “Okay, enough of that around my young, impressionable children.”

            “I’m not that young!” Matt protested.

            Shiro snickered. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” Pidge socked him in the arm and he rubbed it as if she’d hurt him. It might have stung quite a bit if he’d still been human.

            Sam patted his shoulder. “I’m glad to see you happy. Some of the local Hunters in Faircliff have been keeping some of your parents’ things in storage, in case they had family come after them at some point. When you come visit, I’ll go get ‘em for you.”

            “Thank you. I don’t know how much of it I can use, especially if any of it’s silver, but I’d like to at least see their things.”

            “You’re welcome to any of it you want. It’s all rightfully yours anyway. And if you’re dead set on starting a family that quickly, it might be nice to have something of your side of the family to pass on.”

            “It’s an odd heritage for my cubs, I suppose, but I would like it, you’re right.”

            He glanced over to the other Hunters. They were starting to strike camp. “Well, looks like there’s packing up to do – for you guys and for us, too. We have to start south; we’ve stayed way too long as is because of all of this.”

            “You’ve started a path to peace for us. I’ll do what I can to keep us walking it,” Sam told him, “but I can’t promise anything.”

            Shiro shrugged. “I never thought I’d be a lion soul. I guess nothing in life is set in stone except death.”

            “And annoying boys,” Pidge chimed in.

            “Sorry, are you calling us annoying or are you talking about you annoying us?” Matt replied.

            “BOTH.”

            Sam interceded before that got too far. “Children, please.”

            And then Pidge darted forward to hug Shiro as tight as she could. “Thank you for helping us,” she said. “You’re the least annoying guy I know, besides Dad.”

            Shiro snickered as he hugged her back. “I’m honored.” When he let her go, she was grinning crookedly up at him. Matt came in for a hug, too, and Shiro thought that would be the end of it until he was tackled from behind and actually lifted up off the ground.

            “I’m gonna miss you, man!” Hunk said, setting him down when he was done with his bear hug.

            Lance launched himself in for a hug as soon as Shiro was free. “You weren’t gonna leave without saying good-bye to all of us, were you?”

            “Of course not,” he reassured him. “I’m sure if I did, you’d put an arrow in my eye for the insult.”

            “Well, maybe not the _eye_ ,” Lance said. “Though I totally could!”

            Hunk coughed.

            Lance ignored it. “I might aim more for the knee. _If_ you’d done that. But you didn’t, so nothing to worry about.” He grinned.

            Shiro looked around and spotted Keith at the edge of the little gathering, fidgeting just a little. He leaned in towards Lance and said quietly, “Maybe go easy on Keith. I know your families have had this long rivalry, but… maybe it’s time to let things go?”

            Lance studied Keith for a long moment, then shrugged. “Maybe.”

            Shiro patted him on the shoulder and headed over to the last of his new friends. Behind him, he could hear Pidge already suggesting Lance seal a peace deal between his family and Keith’s with a kiss. That, of course, spawned a loud fight, and he couldn’t help chuckling. “Hey,” he said as he approached Keith.

            “Hey,” Keith said, blushing at the overheard argument. “Are they ever not obnoxious?”

            “Sometimes. Thanks for all you did.”

            “I didn’t do that much.”

            “You did more than you think,” Shiro told him. He laid a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I appreciate it a lot.”

            He could feel the tension in the lad’s shoulders until Keith darted in for a quick, tight hug. “Thanks.” And then he retreated a good distance.

            Shiro smiled. “You’re welcome. And thank you again.”

            Keith nodded. “When do you think you’ll be in Faircliff?”

            Shiro shrugged. “Late spring, early summer.”

            “We’ll be there. I will be, anyway.”

            “Good. I’ll look forward to it. Take care of yourself out there.”

            “Yeah, you, too. Maybe see if she’ll let you get some sleep at some point?”

            Shiro laughed. “I can’t make any promises about that.”

            Keith looked over the camp. “You really think this is going to work?”

            “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’ll take time and a lot of effort. But it’s worth trying for. Peace and happiness are always worth fighting for.”

            “Yeah, I suppose so. I guess I’ll have to figure out a new living though.”

            “Professional Lance Wrangler?” Shiro suggested.

            Keith slugged him in the arm for that. It actually did sting a little. “A living that doesn’t make me want to kill myself,” he clarified, but Shiro noticed the blush was coming back.

            “You two make a good team. We all made a good team. I’m going to miss you guys.”

            “I’ll miss you, too. We all will.”

            They fell into silence for a moment. “I can help you guys pack up?” Shiro offered.

            Keith shook his head. “Nah, it’s just a temporary camp. Won’t take us long. ‘Sides, you have your own stuff to pack up, right?”

            “Yeah. It just feels weird not to be helping.”

            “You helped, Shiro.” Keith smiled just a little.

            “Oooh, he smiled at Shiro. Jealous, Lance?” Pidge cooed from behind them. Shiro was surprised he could hear it, but then he was still getting used to his new senses.

            However, _everyone_ could hear Lance’s reply. “JEALOUS OF WHAT?!”

            Shiro winced a little and looked back to Keith. “Okay, seriously, either tell him you’re not interested or tell him you are. Put him out of his misery.”

            Keith huffed. “Stay out of it, Shiro.”

            “I’m trying to help,” he said with a grin.

            “Goodbye, Shiro,” Keith declared before storming off.

            He chuckled, watching him go, then went back to the guys for more hugs, including one from Sam as everyone else went back to helping strike camp.

            “Keep it up,” the older male told him, punctuating the hug with a pat on the back. “Your parents would want you to try your best and see this through, no matter what.”

            “Thanks, Sam.”

            “You’re welcome, Shiro. You take care of yourself and your new mate.”

            “We’ll take care of each other,” he corrected.

            Sam smiled warmly. “I’m glad to hear it. We’ll see you next year. Safe travels.”

            “To you as well.”

            Sam went off to help with the last of the packing up. Shiro lingered a moment, watching the humans. He felt more like one of them now than he ever had when he’d actually _been_ human. He was sad to see them go, sadder still to walk off and leave them behind, but he knew he’d see them again. In the meantime, he had his own tasks to see to. He wasn’t sure what his destiny would hold for him – for any of them – but he knew that, whatever it was, it would include his best friend, fellow peacekeeper, and now forever-requited love of his life.


End file.
